Lightning at Hogwarts
by Candy Cane Jones
Summary: Seventh year of Lily and James, the Marauders, and living in the shadow of Voldemort. Mostly LJ. Different from other stories because it's not just HATE vs LOVE. My first fanfic and the story is worthy of a better summary than this.
1. Train

**Welcome to the story! Author's Notes are on the bottom.**

_Honestly, it's not like I want to hate him now_, thought Lily Evans moodily as she climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express. _And if anyone starts saying it, I'll hex them. But then they'll probably be saying the opposite thing anyway. When comes the part when I win?_ She hefted her trunk up behind her before remembering that technically, she was a full-blown, seventeen-year-old witch, and even more technically that it wouldn't matter either way because it was the Hogwarts Express. Jabbing the trunk with a quick twist of her wand, Lily lifted the feather-light luggage into the center aisle. She exhaled as she found an open compartment and stowed her trunk on the rack. Lily sat down before realizing that, as Head Girl, she really did need to patrol the corridors. She abruptly shot up out of her seat again, her agitation boiling over.

It was James Potter of course, it was almost _always_ James Potter. Enough to give anyone a good head twist, or at least a difficult toothache, James Potter was plaguing Lily's mind as he had all summer. She had tried to not think about how James had been quieter and even kinder since last year. She had refused to immediately draft an answer to his occasional letters the moment his owl swooped onto her desk. She had tried, _tried_ to have a nice, normal relationship with a Muggle boy. And she had found herself moping over how James was taller. This summer had been a trying one.

Lily stalked out of the train and back onto the platform in order to wait for her friends to arrive. She was naturally early, always early, and this year there was no point in settling in so soon. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wound iron of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The strong summer wind blew her thick hair around, which suited her mood well as her stomach churned at the thought of her Head Boy. _No_, _he is _the_ Head Boy_, Lily chided herself mentally. He certainly wasn't _hers_, not at all. Not unless he was different from last year, and far different from fifth year, but rather like he was in third year. Lily huffed at her silent, stupid ramblings and blew a great red lock of hair out of her face, which promptly fell right back in front of her eye. Perhaps it was this bit of hair that stopped her from seeing her very best friends emerge, nearly simultaneously, from the entryway

"Wotcher Lily!" cried a warm voice. Lily looked up and was enveloped in a great hug. It was Marlene McKinnon, a bright-eyed witch with spunky caramel hair and a well-shaped nose. Lily nearly inhaled a mouthful of Marlene's curls before managing to get her arms around her friend. Marlene was just under Lily's height, and Lily noticed a large trunk with an owl cage floating behind Marlene from over her shoulder.

"'Lo Marlene," said Lily brightly, feeling her stomach _whoosh_ cheerfully as her apprehension at seeing James Potter vanished with her friend's joyful greeting. Marlene's presence often had the effect of a good Honeydukes chocolate bar, a trait which Lily appreciated more than the creamy candy itself

"Hey, mate," came another voice from around Marlene. Lily embraced Dorcas Meadows as well; she was a girl with fierce, whiskey brown eyes and straight blonde hair tied in a ponytail.

"Evans," smirked a good-natured, taller girl from beside Dorcas, with her dark hair done up in an elegant knot and a smile playing over her red lips and deep-set eyes.

"Vance," smiled Lily, as Emmeline pulled her into a tight grip. Lily looked at her friends and smiled even wider, the old feeling of Hogwarts companionship slipping into her blood stream.

"We've got duties, Vance. You're a Prefect now, so you'll be dealing with patrolling and such," said Lily in a severe voice, keeping her face carefully stern. Emmeline scowled and gave a rueful snort at Lily's play-act at authority.

"Too bad," the tanned prefect muttered regretfully, looking around as the handsome Caradoc Dearborn boarded the Hogwarts Express with his Ravenclaw buddies.

"Emmy, we know you'll 'check his compartment' anyway," sniggered Dorcas, dodging a swipe from Emmeline's hand. "And you've got to report to Lily here, what a fiasco that'll be—"

"Her and James Potter, that is," interjected Marlene with a sly look at Lily. "He made Head Boy, though no one knows how." Lily was sure she felt her liver shrivel up inside her.

"Oh, how I look forward to barging in on those lovebirds!" said Emmeline chiefly to aggravate Lily. "They'll be snogging away before prefect meetings—" This time it was Emmeline who dodged, forced to avoid Lily's much more threatening punch to her arm.

"We're not lovebirds," said Lily as the girls boarded the train. "We've never actually snogged, and unless he keeps his ego under his hat this year we won't be sharing that particular experience."

"He was okay last year, funny, less of a berk," pointed out Marlene, as they followed Lily to her compartment. "You seemed to like him a bit, even…"

"Well it _was_ better than fifth year, and it's not like I hate him—" _Far from it._ "—but he can be such a bullying tosser, and so arrogant, and such a _toe_rag that I just—"

"Have we gotten to the good bit yet, or did I miss it?" said Emmeline sarcastically, dumping her trunk on the carry rack.

"I think you're in love!" declared Dorcas as she collapsed gratefully into her seat. "And you'd better go find him, because the sooner you important folk do the check duties is the sooner you and Emmeline can get back and trough with us when the lunch cart rolls round."

"I am not in love," warned Lily dangerously, blushing a delicate pink as she followed Emmeline into the corridor. _Love! Rubbish, really, as we've barely ever had a real conversation_… Emmeline was rather preoccupied, floating down the hall and surreptitiously glancing into the compartments ahead of them. _No doubt scouting for Caradoc Dearborn again, she's always_—

"Looking for me, Evans?" came a surprisingly deep voice from behind. Lily whirled around and saw James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and the bulge of Peter Pettigrew ambling down the corridor. Emmeline, upon seeing who it was, simply rolled her eyes. Lily found Emmeline's greeting to be succinctly discouraging

"Hello, blokes. I'll leave you to her."

"But _Emmeline_, we should—"

Emmeline waved Lily off nonchalantly and continued down the hallway, quite unconcerned about the position in which she had left her friend. Sirius blew a kiss at her receding back and whispered something to James, causing James to laugh but to also kick him sharply in the leg. Sirius tossed his hair and grinned as Remus shook his head with a small smile. James and his friends, the self-dubbed Marauders, always had their little fun together.

"Evans," Sirius winked, giving her a dark, charming glance before ducking sideways into a compartment. Remus grinned hello.

"Hey, Lily. Nice summer?"

"Why yes, I—" Lily was interrupted for the second time when Sirius' arm appeared to pull Remus and Peter into the compartment, shutting the door with a sharp _snap_.

James was moving closer; Lily hadn't realized quite how tall he was. Although Sirius had more finely-carved features, no one could argue that they were both extremely attractive. Or at least, Lily thought so. In fact, the only unattractive Marauder was Peter Pettigrew, who couldn't stand up to Lupin's effortless charm, let alone Remus, Sirius, and James together. _James is taller than last year_, thought Lily pensively, her line of vision directly between his nose and lips. Pretty lips, actually, soft-looking even…as if they—Lily shook her head.

"Spiders in that marvelous hair of yours?" asked James pleasantly, reaching out two long fingers to a fat red curl that was sitting close to Lily's cheek.

"No," said Lily calmly, watching James' hand. _Fingers, hand…hand starts with H, like that word with the letters in it_—

"Head! We've got Head Duties, James. We need to patrol the train," Lily blurted, color tingeing her face as she regained composure.

"Ah," said James, evidently disappointed, dropping his hand to his side. Then his face subtly brightened and Lily saw a perceptible change in his brilliant hazel eyes.

"James, eh?" he muttered inaudibly, almost to himself. Then he laughed and pulled Lily into a bear hug. Lily _oomphed_ as she was crumpled up against him, nearly suffocated by his T-shirt and her own hair. She smelled a faint spice, an almost musky odor in fact—_James Potter will _not_ be thought of as "musky,"_ she told herself severely. _Not in this mind at least._

"Miss me, Lily?" he asked exuberantly, looking straight into her eyes. "And I notice you haven't yet properly congratulated me for my stunning nomination as Head Boy. I think a good kiss would be appropriate, and naturally you were a shoe-in for both the kissing and the Head Girl—"

"Hexed anyone yet, Potter?" asked Lily dryly, pulling herself out of his embrace with an amused expression. James laughed.

"Only Sirius, and really, that doesn't count. That bloke needed a few dance lessons anyway—"

"_Tarantellegra_ then?" asked Lily, as they slowly began walking down the corridor. She heard a steam whistle from outside as the Hogwarts Express began to chug forward.

"Does it really matter, Evans, now that we're in 'the here and now', so to speak?" asked James winningly, giving her a wink as she looked into a compartment of mousy third-year Hufflepuffs. Lily chuckled.

"You're impossible, James. And I don't much fancy your method of congratulations. Just don't curse everything that moves this year; that'll land you in bind, being Head Boy and all." James just grinned as they continued along for a few moments in silence, a silence which he eventually broke.

"Er, Lily?"

"Yes?"

"What exactly are we looking for?"

Lily shot him what should have been a nasty look, except that she was trying to keep her lips from forming a smile. James felt a singing sensation in his heart; only last year she might have been exasperated and hostile.

"We're…ahem, we're trying to stop wrongdoing and we're confiscating things that are against the rules."

"All right," agreed James. He paused. "You mean anything against the rules?"

"No, only every _other_ thing we find," Lily replied with marked cheek. "Of course _anything_ we find."

"Oh," said James, and then he proceeded to grab her arm and pull her down the corridor.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, breaking out of his grasp with a halt and squaring her hands on her hips. Lily was finding it much easier to be on the offensive with James than to give into his charms. _Pride before a fall_, she thought ruefully. _Maybe if I had started earlier—_

"Just didn't want you to see in Sirius' compartment, that's all," said James innocently. _Why do I always do this?_ he wondered even as the words reached his ears. _It never works on Lily._ Waiting for the explosion, he was surprised when Lily just rolled her eyes.

"It better not be dangerous, Potter, or it's completely your fault."

"Understood, my liege." James snapped a smart salute, unable to contain his look of glee. Lily rolled her eyes again and continued down the corridor. _What is the matter with me? I can't let him get away with things. I would never…He's funny, he's charming, well in a stupid way, but this is—_

"Out of the way, out of the way," said James imperiously, walking through a crowd of young Hufflepuffs in the center aisle. Lily followed him and swatted his arm, looking apologetic and pained for the Hufflepuffs (although she felt privately that one or two of the wider ones were too thick to have noticed anything).

"James! You can't use your—"

"But they're so…so…smelly!" he suggested plaintively, allowing Lily to pull him away from the gaggle of second years.

"James, don't be a git."

"Fair enough." They continued in this way until the end of the train, and then headed back towards their friends.

"Lily?" said James, as she returned from a Slytherin compartment grimly holding a struggling puffleskein.

"What?" she replied, tossing the disgruntled bird out of a window and shutting the catch sharply.

"Don't the Heads and the prefects sit by themselves?"

"If they want to, yes. But I'm in a compartment already, and so are you," she pointed out.

"Just checking," winked James, pulling to a stop. "All right, this is my place. Take care Evans, don't forget to write and maybe come to snog—"

"Good _bye_," sang Lily, making her way past him into her friends' compartment.

Emmeline had arrived before Lily and she was playing Exploding Snap with Dorcas. Truthfully, Lily did not think that Emmeline had made it past the Ravenclaw compartment containing one Caradoc Dearborn. Marlene was petting her owl, a great lumpy beast possibly named Matches or Macaroni, Lily never quite got it right.

"'Lo Mrs. Potter," greeted Emmeline gaily as the snap pack exploded in Dorcas' face. Dorcas scowled and waved her wand, wiping away the black smudges.

"You can shut up whenever you'd like," shot Lily while climbing into a seat next to Dorcas, who grinned.

"Had a good snog, Lily?"

"No," said Lily exasperatedly, eyes closed, lacing her fingers together and leaning her head back against her hands.

"A bad one, then? That's surprising, I heard good things about Potter."

"Vance," said Lily, cracking one eye open at the offending character. "I suggest that unless you want to arrive at Hogwarts _without legs,_ you keep quiet about Potter's snogging abilities, Potter, or anything having to do with, oh wait, _Potter_."

"Let's talk about other people's snogging then," suggested Marlene wickedly, kicking Lily. It was such an uncharacteristic thing of Marlene to say that Lily did open her eyes. "I heard someone had a Muggle fling over the summer."

Lily blushed, and saw to her surprise that Dorcas and Emmeline were red in the faces as well.

"You two?" Lily gasped, shrieking with laughter at two witches least likely to go with Muggles.

"He was very good-looking, and he had that hair I love," said Emmeline defensively.

"You mean you as well?" scowled Dorcas to Lily, mistaking her meaning. "Anyone we know, Lil?"

"His name was Jim McGuffin. He wants to be a newsman or something. Excellent eyes," said Lily with a chuckle. _Still not really that tall though—no, don't start_. "Think he thought I was a little round the bend though, it wasn't going to be long-term anyway."

"No, naturally you have Potter," smirked Emmeline.

"Well who was _your_ summer boyfriend?" demanded Lily. Emmeline flushed again.

"I…I don't actually remember," she admitted embarrassedly, holding up her hands as the three girls roared with laughter. Moments such as these with Emmeline (who, although brilliant in classes, would sometimes forget if she was wearing shoes or not) were priceless.

"Don't even ask me about mine, I won't say anyway," said Dorcas as the noise subsided. Dorcas always kept things close-to-cuff though; no one really thought to ask her any more. "And what about you Marlene, eh? No Muggles?"

"Wizard," said Marlene with a quiet smile as Emmeline guffawed her approval. Lily took hold of her hands, glad for her friend.

"Who was he?"

"Well," began Marlene, eyes sparkling. She had obviously been waiting to tell this to her friends. Lily suspected that Marlene was eager to share as Marlene never had as many boyfriend stories as Dorcas or Emmeline. Or Lily, for a matter of fact, though James Potter had been a large part of a distinctive cramp on her love life. "It's that bloke you went out with, Lily, a few years older than us. Remember Sturgis Podmore?"

Lily gasped and chuckled. "Good old Sturgis! Blonde hair, skill with a wand. I thought he was a bit boring though. You met him again?"

Marlene laughed, "Yep. Diagon Alley. Still boring of course, but he rescued me from my pesky neighbor Harold, little stalker that he is. He's just growing to _that_ age, you know, and I'm the only female without wrinkles for a kilometer around. Anyhow, apparently Sturgis's working into the Ministry, some stupid thing about unicorn dung I thought, but I dumped him after a few weeks. We had nothing to talk about, really—"

"Not after unicorn dung, I should think not. Is Harold Skively _still_ following you around, Marley?" asked Emmeline.

Marlene sighed, "Yeah, odd little kid. He—" There was a knock on the door, the lunch cart had arrived. The girls spent the rest of the trip eating and chatting, giggling like mad at Emmeline's outrageous tales of harrowing uses of magic and Lily's general situation with James Potter. As the countryside became gradually grew wilder and wilder, Lily felt her heart ease in her chest. _There will be no problems this year with Potter_, she thought to herself. _I'll just act natural. Perfectly natural_.

**Hello there! This is my first fanfic, and I'm a wee bit proud. It's very fun to write these things, and here is some stuff (disclaimers and notes and the like) that people usually write. There is absolutely nothing made up here besides the story, but you all knew that… Seriously though, every name or unnamed person is an invention of J.K. Rowling. _Anyone_. I swear. This is Totally. Canon. That made it a little more difficult, but cool. Hope you enjoy it. The first 5 chapters were all put up at once. The rest are added with notes as I write 'em. Reviews exceptionally, hugely, and graciously welcome! Keep looking to the bottom for future notes. Thanks lots…**

"Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is **lightning** that does all the work." Mister Mark Twain, a hero.


	2. Dinner

"…and so," wound up Dumbledore at the end of the Sorting, "I believe it is time to feast. Tuck in, everyone."

Their goblets full and their sparkling plates laden with food, the students of Hogwarts began to eat. The usual gabble about the beginning of the year spread when school friendships warmed up and excitement at the coming classes ran high. It was strange to think that Lily would probably not hear these noises, or smell or taste this feast, ever again. It was also disheartening. She was sawing listlessly at her mutton chop, preoccupied, when a warm arm was slung around her shoulder. Lily squelched inwardly as James sat next to her.

"Lily, my love, are you enjoying yourself? Will you allow me to cut your meat for you? Stroke your hair? Kiss your—"

"—lick your shoes, Lilllllllyy?" finished Sirius Black in a false nasally voice, casually shoving a first year to take a seat next to James. James rolled his eyes.

"Ignore that man, Lily, because he suffers from what we call an inferiority complex—" Lily tried not to giggle as Sirius pantomimed strangling James behind his head. They were almost charming together, really, when they weren't hexing the stuffing out of everyone.

"And Moony here," continued James, oblivious to Sirius, as sandy-haired Remus Lupin took a seat on the bench on the other side of Lily (Marlene had shifted in a hurry, with a sly look), "is constantly having to put up with Padfoot's nonsense. Lucky he's keeping us grounded, well, some of us, but—ouch!" Sirius had poked the back of James' head with a fork, laughing as James let out an expletive and wrenched the instrument away from his friend. Several Gryffindor ladies seemed to falter in their conversation as they turned to look at the Marauders. James rubbed his head ruefully, messing up his hair even more and giving Lily time to carefully pick up James' arm and move it off of her shoulders, even though it did feel like a nice way to sit…

"Thank you, James, but is there any real reason why you're here?"

"It's because he fancies you," said Sirius loudly, in a very-fake whisper. "And because he becomes a right git whenever he's in a good mood. You always need to head those off at the pass, else there'll be no stopping him."

James threw Sirius a deeply disdainful look and continued, "Although Sirius may be correct on one account, I am here to let you know that we're meeting Dumbledore right after the feast, and with the prefects right after that. McGonagall told me. We could always throw it off and take a date to Hogsmeade, which may not be a bad plan—"

"All right then. Thanks for the news," Lily replied loudly. James flashed her a winning smile.

"So I guess you'll want us to stick around and plan out our date—"

"Not today, Potter, thank you," said Lily primly, as dessert appeared. Sirius began helping himself wolfishly to treacle tart. Remus tapped James and whispered something at him, with a pointed nod at a group of older Slytherins who were hexing the food off first years' plates.

"Right, well tomorrow then," said James brightly to Lily, his face darkening as he, Remus, and Sirius made their way back to Peter, muttering amongst themselves. Lily wondered what they would do to the Slytherins; and she could still smell that musk in the air, the faint smell of shampoo and—

"So what was _that_ all about?" asked Emmeline Vance smugly, taking a quick seat across from Lily.

"James being James, that's all," said Lily indifferently, poking at her biscuit. Emmeline rolled her eyes, giving a look to Dorcas that plainly said that Lily would never learn. Lily would thank Emmeline to keep her slim nose in her own business. She also knew that Emmeline would only continue if she rose to the bait. Sure enough, Emmeline soon turned back to Dorcas to say something more about Caradoc Dearborn's bum.

"Are you going to say yes to him this year?" questioned Marlene from beside Lily. "It's your last year anyway. Might as well, right?"

Lily looked off into the distance, her heart fluttering faintly. She could not decide why, but the prospect of accepting James' advances scared her a little.

"I…just don't know," she said at last, in a voice that was both honest and desperate. Emmeline and Dorcas were now talking animatedly to each other about something possibly concerning Quidditch fouls. Lily sighed. She was remotely glad that she could speak to Marlene in relative privacy.

"I mean, I simply _won't_ go with him if he keeps bullying the pants off everyone, but so far he hasn't and he's been real nice and I…I think I might even _like_ him but what if he's not serious about liking me and oh, Marlene, it's hard to know _what_ to think!" Lily was voicing her private fears that had plagued her all summer. She had nearly developed a neurosis during the holidays, which had never happened before over a boy. Marlene patted her shoulder. Lily lowered her voice and looked at Marlene confidentially.

"D'you think I should?" Her eyes were fixed on Marlene's face. Marlene was slow in responding but at length replied,

"D'you want to?"

Lily took her own pause.

"I…I think I might. It'll just be a big step, you know? Considering how we've, er, butted heads before…"

"Good term for it," grinned Marlene. "And we've established that you have feelings for him. That's good. That's why you must say yes whenever you're ready to. I think James'll wait, Lily. He really does like you. You're funny and smart, and beautiful, and talented. It's all your choice." Lily blushed at Marlene's words, trying to pretend they didn't mean so much to her. Marlene seemed to know though, and she gave a dismissive wave of her hand before Lily could say any words of thanks.

"Forget it. Just pass me some of that rice pudding."

Lily smiled and complied, adding, "This doesn't mean a yes for sure, Marlene. He may be faking."

"Whatever you say, Lily, but we both know that's rot as always."

The feast went on as usual, and then the plates were cleared and the bellies were full and Dumbledore quietly commanded the attention of the entire room.

"Welcome to another year! Welcome to the first years! And grand welcomes to those of you that have decided not to wander off into the forest this year, if indeed any of you have chosen this. It would certainly help after a few of the…fiascos of the previous term." Lily looked over to see James and Sirius snickering, Peter giggling, and Remus bracingly trying to hide a smile.

"Before the school song—" (several members of the faculty assumed positively murderous grimaces) "—we shall go over some rules, as trivial as that may seem. First of all, no students are to be out after hours, save the prefects and the Head Boy and Girl. Their jobs are to patrol the castle, which is part of a mere formalities suggested to us by the Ministry. _Everyone_ is reminded that the Forbidden Forest is not open to _any students_, as are the lake bottom, the teachers' rooms, bathrooms for the opposite gender, and anywhere else you may attempt to turn up." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in the direction of the Gryffindor table. Lily heard the sound of someone, say, one Sirius Black, high-fiving the hands of three other boys. She and Marlene exchanged a look.

"Furthermore, Mr. Filch has asked me to make a notice that a complete list of banned items is hanging outside of his office for anyone's perusal. If any student should wish for a personal list—"

"Fat chance of that!" whispered Emmeline. Dorcas nodded.

"—they may request a copy. I believe that is it for now, so let us commence the year!" The Gryffindor table erupted in applause, led by James and Sirius, then Remus as well, and then Peter. Lily clapped loudly with the rest of them as the other House tables cheered in succession. As a result, James naturally resorted to adding loud cat-calls. Lily rolled her eyes while Marlene laughed.

Dumbledore took all of this in stride, barely acknowledging the noise in his honor. Golden ribbons billowed out of his wand and twisted into the words of a well-known anthem as the applause subsided.

As Lily opened her mouth to sing, she saw James and Sirius tapping their throats (and that of a struggling Remus) with their wands, muttering something that sounded like "_Sonorus_!" Then of course, she heard it.

"HOGWARTS, HOGWARTS, HOGGY WARTY HOGWARTS,

TEACH US SOMETHING PLEASE!" ("PLEASE!" shouted Peter, finally managing to do the spell himself.)

WHETHER WE BE OLD AND BALD

OR YOUNG WITH SCABBY KNEES!

OUR HEADS COULD DO WITH A FILLING—"

"I'll say," mumbled Lily, watching James and Sirius perform uproarious opera gestures. "They're terrible, I—_Marlene_!" Marlene was clutching her stomach, convulsing with laughter. She wiped her eyes and asked Lily between outbursts,

"What's terrible, the singing or the spell?"

"Both," answered Lily, smiling in spite of herself as the idiots continued, with Peter falling off of his seat in excitement. Remus was looking faintly red in the face, but James and Sirius had grasped both of his arms and he was forced, finally smiling, into some foolish dance. Lily looked around to find the rest of the room laughing as well, some students still attempting to sing along with the Marauders' abysmal shouting.

"—AND LEARN UNTIL OUR BRAINS ALL ROT!" they finished. James and Sirius bowed with a gusto; Peter was apple-cheeked with excitement and Remus reluctantly grinned.

"Already happened, I'm afraid," pronounced Professor McGonagall audibly, looking exasperated even as her thin lips bent in spite of herself. Mirth broke out among the students. James and Sirius beamed and waved exaggeratedly at their Head of House, going so far as to climb on their chairs.

"Ah, well, thank you, er, Gryffindors. Lovely singing," said Dumbledore with a half-smile.

"THANK _YOU_ PROFESSOR!" shouted Sirius, who hadn't removed the spell yet. The hall erupted into laughs again. James elbowed Sirius, dramatically shaking his head as if ashamed (Lily felt her blood steam as she noticed a group of Hufflepuff seventh years batting their eyes and smiling flirtatiously at the boys.)

"Now, if Mr. Black and Mr. Potter would kindly get their trainers off of our furniture—" James and Sirius climbed down, grinning, as James performed the reverse spell. "—we can all go up to bed. Incidentally, everyone, James Potter is our Head Boy this year, and what a year it shall be. Hopefully our Head Girl can keep him in check—"

"I look forward to seeing you at it," murmured a voice in Lily's ear, and Lily did not have to look to know that James was behind her (she was glad to see the smiles sagging on the Hufflepuffs' eager faces.)

"—and whoever can keep Mr. Black in check, I welcome you to try. His friends are not, perhaps, putting so much effort into the task." Lily noticed several girls turn to their friends and whisper suggestive things while looking pointedly at Sirius. Sirius didn't appear to be aware of this while he muttered something to Lupin. Then Dumbledore's face tightened and everyone grew quiet. Dumbledore's moods could be very catching.

"I realize that many sad and terrible things have happened in past years, and will happen during this one. Yes, _will_ happen. It is the unavoidable circumstance which interferes with all of our time. However, let us not allow Voldemort's presence outside of our school interfere with your castle life. Have fun, learn as you may, and act only as serious as your age allows. Off to bed we go!" The hall cheered once more and everyone stood, prefects taking charge as classes filed out of the Great Hall.

Lily stood up and looked around for James. He was right next to her, smiling, and Lily jumped. He was just so…tall, yes, that was it. Tall. And his hair was so black, and his eyes were—

"Scare you, Evans?"

"Like always, Potter," replied Lily evenly, floating off towards the Head Table. James sighed behind her, rumpled his hair, and followed her without so much as another innuendo.

Professor Dumbledore was sitting at his seat pleasantly, wiping his mouth with a napkin emblazoned with the school crest. He turned his seat and flicked his wand, conjuring two squishy purple armchairs out of thin air. Lily and James took their seats and sat, stoically watching Dumbledore.

The headmaster appeared to be watching them as well. Lily felt as if his eyes were sinking into her, looking right into her head. It felt an awful lot like being sized up for a kickball game in elementary school. She snuck a look at James, and found him to be gazing straight at Dumbledore, hardly blinking, chin up. Lily swallowed thickly.

After a few moments—when they were the only people left in the room—Dumbledore began speaking.

"Lily, James. Welcome." Lily didn't quite know what to say; James merely nodded.

"I have chosen you both for Head Boy and Girl for rather specific reasons, some of which I'm going to tell you now, others of which you might find out later. At this particular moment, I have some important information to share with you. To start with, if you didn't know, Hogsmeade dates are at the discretion of the faculty this year. A security precaution.

"Secondly, you two will patrol together and every night. If this cuts into your schoolwork, I apologize. We can fix it if there is a problem. However, you're both very, very bright, and it shouldn't be a complication. Once around the more commonly used corridors of the castle should do the trick. No doubt, James, that you might possibly be tempted to do this anyway." Lily saw James blush faintly, and he and Dumbledore smiled.

"Nonetheless, you will both need to patrol considerably later than the prefects. You are exceptional students in Defense Against the Dark Arts. You are both at the N.E.W.T. level and beyond, in my opinion. Not including your incomparable performances in Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration. This helped our decision for your nominations. Especially," he added with a delicate pause, "with Voldemort gathering supporters as he is."

Lily watched James' face clench, his nostrils flared. She heard herself ask seriously, "D'you expect those…those Death Eaters to appear in our castle, Professor?" Lily burned at the idea even as she voiced her question. Hogwarts was truly her home, and no miserable masked villain would ruin her final year. Dumbledore regarded her carefully, peering down his half-moon glasses.

"Honestly, Lily, I cannot say. I do not expect any known Death Eaters to enter Hogwarts. I only ask that we be ever vigilant, of both our colleagues and more importantly of ourselves. You can certainly appreciate what I mean?" Lily nodded, hardly able to swallow over the hard lump in her throat.

"What are we to do if we see any Dark activities, Professor?" asked James in a voice reminiscent of iron. Dumbledore replied simply.

"My dear boy, you are to stop them. With any and every power you possess. Including the help of friends and teachers, what may be one of the most powerful weapons that we have against Voldemort. Remember what is at stake." Lily could not help but notice that James didn't flinch from the name. She sat up a bit straighter in her seat, chin thrust out high. _If Professor Dumbledore uses that name, then so can I. We can't live in fear of one man forever_. Lily did not want to be weak, either for herself, her school, or her Head Boy.

"Finally, you are naturally to conduct yourselves in the manners that befit the top students in your year, the two students who most exemplify the spirit, talents, hope, and future of Hogwarts. That is a lot to put on your shoulders, and believe me when I say that I know it well," smiled Dumbledore. "Enjoy your last year as students. The password to your dormitory is _Remembrall_.

"Now to a matter that has certainly been nagging at one of us all summer. I expect that you, James, may be wondering why you were chosen as Head Boy?" said Dumbledore shrewdly, looking at James. Lily was surprised to see him blushing.

"Well, yeah."

"Because you and Lily will make such an excellent team. Goodnight." With that, Dumbledore rose and exited the Great Hall. Lily sat for a moment, mouth closed, as her face slowly turned red up to the roots of her hair. She finally hazarded a look a James, who was sitting flabbergasted, staring dubiously at the door Dumbledore had taken leave of as if Dumbledore had announced that he was taking a holiday to visit a few giants for tea. James looked over at Lily and gave her a surprised, crooked smile.

"Well okay then," he said, running his hand through his hair.

"Shut up," she mumbled mutinously as the prefects filed into the room. Lily stood up and walked away from the Head Table, James at her heels. As soon as they stood, their armchairs vanished in a slippery haze.


	3. Meeting

They met the prefects at the foot of the table, with Emmeline smirking up at Lily. Remus exchanged a glance with James and smiled. As expected, some of the prefects looked bored, some looked harassed, and a varied bunch of them seemed to perk up at seeing Lily and James, or possibly Lily or James, or maybe the both of them because they had been chosen to be partners. Lily scowled; she ignored this and gave them the usual drill that she had heard since fifth year. James mucked about, smiling genially and winking a lot from behind her. Lily suspected that he did this to make up for the seriousness of their time with Dumbledore. And because he was a fat git.

"And," she said, sending a disgusted look to James that made several prefects giggle while Remus grinned knowingly, "you can even divide up the schedules as you please. James and I will be checking to make sure you're all on your patrols, but you'll take the scheduling upon yourselves. We'll have a later patrol than you lot that we'll have to take togeth—_James_!" She ended the last word on a hiss. Lily was fairly certain that James had done some more winking and had made a suggestive face at her last comment.

"Could you possibly be a _bigger nuisance_?"

James grinned and—even in her uncoiling anger—Lily felt her muscles tense as some female prefects laughed, flirtatiously from her view. James slung an arm around her and began speaking in a very fake, very bossy sort of voice that reminded her of a lecturing professor.

"All right, this year we're going to have the er… best squad of rule enforcer thingummies there are. Or ever was. And if there is a problem with a teacher, you've got to blag your way out of it and not drag Lily and me into—" Lily slapped him and shoved him to the side. She would need to control future actions of violence against him, if at all possible

"Brilliant," she said acidly, annoyed to see some of the girls stifling silly noises. "I think that'll be it, and if anyone wants to assassinate the Head Boy, you've got my support."

"Lily," complained James, "I'll be a top-of-the-range Head Boy—it's Remus you've got to worry about—and don't you all listen to her, she's just in denial…"

"_And_," said Lily, raising her voice over James' speech, "one last thing."

Lily paused and knew there was ice creeping over her heart at what had to be said. She swallowed nervously, all humor and anger dissipated, and sent the Head Boy a pointed look. It seemed as if James caught her mood. _Moods like this are very catachable nowadays. _Lily began, licking her lips, "With…with, well, You-Know—"

"Voldemort," said James, face suddenly devoid of emotion, as if the Dark Lord had taken a rag and wiped his spirits away. A collective shudder ran through the prefects, but Lily saw Emmeline Vance, Remus Lupin, and precious few others straightening up.

"Yes, Voldemort," Lily reiterated firmly. "With him and his around, doing…doing terrible things, our duties as leaders will be more intense than the duties previous prefects have had. We've _got _to keep things going, no matter what." Her voice sounded as if she was half speaking to herself. "And if anyone spots anything even the least bit suspicious anywhere, go straight to a teacher. Head of a House if possible. If that's not an option, tell me or James. If there's no chance of that—"

"We'll go it alone," interrupted Emmeline in a stony tone. Lily indicated yes, wincing. A few heads muttered and nodded in assent. Prefect meetings should not need such seriousness. Some of them looked positively terrified. One Ravenclaw spoke up, raising his hand tentatively, as if not sure what to do. Lily opened her mouth when she heard James' voice issuing from beside her, sounding surprisingly steely.

"Yes, Worple?"

Worple cleared his throat.

"Are you saying that w-we may en-encounter Dark—"

"Yes."

"And we may h-have to—"

"Hopefully not," said James, appearing disgusted at the quaver he heard in the Ravenclaw's voice. "But if you do, you'd better do it with everything you've got."

"This is Hogwarts, Worple," interjected Lily, not wishing to frighten everyone. "People usually get hurt from the outside, not from the inside. The day that someone attacks Hogwarts from the inside is something even Dumbledore can't foresee. None of us thinks that particular attack will come during a Potions lesson or your Charms homework. None of us thinks it will happen at all. And certainly no one is saying you're on your own should you spot Dark Magic. This is just a warning because we're in tricky times, and not everyone's as trustworthy as they seem. If you've got suspicions, tell someone straight off."

"Is that a threat?" asked a Slytherin boy softly, one thick eyebrow raised. James made some kind of movement from beside her.

"It's a message from your Headmaster. If you choose to perceive it as a threat, then perhaps you'd best snap you snotty arse over to him to speak about it," clipped James coldly. The Slytherin looked as if he were about to open his mouth but then thought better of it. Emmeline nodded snappily.

"Very nice, Potter. Now, if this meeting is over—"

"It is," he said with a last look at the Slytherin.

"—then we're back to the dormitories?"

"Yes," said Lily firmly. "Goodnight everyone. Don't be worked up about this. Remember to trust your instincts and stay on guard. And for Merlin's sake, don't hex anything that jumps at you." Lily slanted a sideways look at James. A few prefects laughed gratefully at the joke while Remus snorted, catching James' eye. It was obvious that few people had yet discovered the extent of James' past hexes.

Lily managed a small smile and waved the others off. Lily and James lingered until the last of the prefects (Emmeline, sporting an aggravating grin for Lily) had exited the Great Hall.

Lily exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding in. She finally glanced over at James. He looked at her. There was a muscle twitching in his cheek and he didn't say anything.

James, of course, was conflicted. An inner battle raged between his simultaneous desires to have a serious conversation with, joke at, and kiss Lily. His normal state was a perpetual conflict between snogging Lily and doing other things (maybe not so much at mealtimes) but this talk of Voldemort had messed up his joking mood. He had been going for "cute" that entire evening, hoping to win some affection from his lovely Lily. James could not _believe_, however, that she would just mention the Dark Lord, like _that_, right out of the blue.

Those prefects were too feeble for his liking. James had been eying the entire bunch and he wouldn't have trusted more than three of them with Hogwarts duties, let alone his own life, and definitely not with Lily's life. He had noted that the blond Slytherin was one of the boys who had been hexing first years at dinner. The Marauders had a plan for them, that they did.

James sighed, finally looking down at Lily. She had fixed him with her very green expression, almost apprehensively, waiting for his next move. He smiled fondly all of a sudden; Lily could do that to him. James reached out and stroked her hair absently, thinking about how happy the Slytherin would be to wake up and find that all of his school robes were transfigured into wasps. With a chuckle, James set off for the common room, Lily hurrying behind him.

**Thanks to donkeykong27 for reminding me about my mistake in this chapter.**


	4. Conflict

Lily relaxed as James smiled, even though she knew he was thinking of something else. Her heart caught in her throat as he petted her hair and then whipped around and headed for the door. Lily followed.

"James!" she called. He slowed down and she saw him refocus his attention on her.

"Yeah, Lily?" He seemed quieter than before, almost…collected. This interested Lily, to find the root of James' mood-swings.

"Why are you so much calmer all of a sudden?" asked Lily curiously, falling into step beside him. He practically barked his dry laugh before giving her a shrewd look.

"What, upset that I'm not prostrate on the floor in front of you, Evans?"

"Just curious," she fired back. James seemed to take a moment and think before replying.

"Well…it's hard to joke with you and Dumbledore running round like you are, gabbing about Voldemort lurking behind every corner."

"We're not," she said heatedly, before catching his tiny smile. "Wait, you're just goading me on, aren't you?" James nodded, pleased, as if she had just performed a superb little trick. "You've got it in one, Lily. I am proud."

"Sod off Potter. I'm not your dancing bear."

"A what?" asked James curiously. Lily scowled as they headed for the staircase.

"Nothing. And _why_ do you enjoy making me angry?" James gave a shrug.

"You're cute when you're naffed off—Merlin Lily!" he cried. Lily had grabbed a handful of his messy hair and pulled, smirking satisfactorily. James rubbed his head, wincing.

"Ouch. Blimey, you're violent."

"Thank you," Lily replied primly. They walked along a few moments without speaking. Then Lily said,

"That was an interesting rendition of the school song James."

"Thanks."

"I'm surprised you got Sirius to do it too, not really his style is it?" Lily mused. James answered logically, "Well, he was ratted. He'll do almost anything then, if you ask him real nice—what?" Lily stopped, dead in her tracks, putting her hands on her hips and staring at him.

"So _that's _why you didn't want me to go into your train car, he was _drinking_, you terrible—"

"Well, so was I," added James nonchalantly. "But not so much. I could get some mead for you Lily, if you want." He tossed in a smile, fairly certain she was going to explode at him.

Lily was furious at such a blatant violation of the rules. To think Potter was sensible, what an idea! "You are HEAD BOY! You can't gad about, drinking and womanizing and sneaking out and fouling things up. You have an example to set! You have to uphold the—"

"Womanizing?" queried James with a knowing smile. "Now what would make you think I was womanizing, Lily, as if you were jealous—"

"That slipped out! Don't take it to heart, you thick-headed prat!" Lily stormed down the corridor. James caught up with her in several easy strides. "_Remembrall_," he uttered softly, as the sleepy Fat Lady swung forward, not even giving them so much as a welcome. He waited for a white-faced Lily to enter first (her angry stomp creating a breeze, so much was she fuming) before climbing in after her.

Sirius, Remus, and Peter were waiting in the common room. Sirius was lounging lazily on the couch, Remus was sitting on the floor, and Peter was snoring away in an armchair. Sirius gave Lily an appraising look as she clomped up the girls' stairs, not acknowledging anyone. James called up softly after her,

"Good night, Lily!" His only answer was the _click_ of the closed door. James turned back to his friends; Remus was sitting with his eyebrows up, looking highly amused and Sirius was snickering openly. James was not deterred however; he had a feeling this year would be different.

"Ready to go?" he asked quietly. Remus nodded and stood, while Sirius kicked Wormtail awake. James took his Invisibility Cloak out from under his robes.

"Come on. We've got Slytherins to paste."

"We're not really going to wake them up, are we James?" asked Peter anxiously. Sirius snorted. "Why do that in the dead of night? Let the wasps wake the blighters tomorrow."

Remus grinned and said, "A prefect and the Head Boy, out with their mates to deal retribution to the dung-bag Slytherins after hours. Think McGonagall is expecting this the first night?"

"Moony, doesn't matter what she expects, because she's never gonna get us this year."

"I hope you're right Prongs, I hope you're right."


	5. Acceptance

Lily went down to breakfast the next morning with Marlene. Dorcas and Emmeline were waiting with their seats. As soon as Lily got into the hall, she groaned.

"What's up?" asked Marlene, who was still drying her curly hair with streams of heat from her wand.

"I forgot we're getting our timetables today. I think I'm still getting the same as last year, right?"

"Lily, you definitely didn't fail out of anything and I don't see how you're taking on anything new, so why're you worrying?"

"Because of Slughorn!" Lily said exasperatedly, taking her seat across from Emmeline. "All his trash about Slytherin and his stupid Slug Club, and the essays are only getting longer, and—_oh here's Potter_!" Lily gnashed her teeth and stuffed a spoonful of porridge into her mouth. Emmeline laughed, and Dorcas mouthed a 'What's wrong with her?' to Marlene, who just shook her head.

The Marauders had just entered the Hall (_Strutting of course_, Lily thought,_ like a pack of peacocks_) and sat down. Only a few people separated Lily from James and his friends, some first years she had never met. Lily, determined not to look to her side, gazed straight ahead. She noticed several Slytherins with their faces covered in stings, glaring mutinously out over the tables. Lily only glowered into her porridge, willing different people to die painfully. The owls flew into the Great Hall, landing all around her as she mulled over the plotted deaths of several classmates.

"Has your food done you personal injury?" asked Dorcas with a chuckle, motioning towards the porridge that was now boiling. Lily waved her wand once, horizontally, and stilled the bubbling glob.

"I'm not hungry," she said smartly, pushing it away from her. From farther along the Gryffindor table, James and Remus doubled over in loud mirth. Lily took a particularly large gulp of orange juice. Emmeline smiled suggestively. "How's Jamie doing, Lily? Have you got your proposal yet?" Lily's eyes narrowed when, with his characteristic perfect timing, James Potter boomed in her ear,

"Lily! Darling! Enjoying your food?" Lily choked on her orange juice, nearly inhaling the lot of it, and was finally calmed by a very entertained Marlene. James was smiling broadly, his look changing barely a jot as a very irate Lily stood up suddenly, nearly upsetting the entire bench. She faced him with a terribly unamused look.

"_You_! Stay here for just five seconds longer and I'll blast you to fiery bits. Five—"

"Just wanted to say that Slughorn, your old pal, invited me to dinner in a few days, heard you'd be there too—"

"—_four_—"

"—wondered if I could squire you to such an innocent occasion—"

_"—three—"_ Lily felt herself getting madder and madder; she heard not only Sirius, Remus, and Peter laughing, but also the tinkling chuckle of Marlene and the full-bodied laughs of Emmeline and Dorcas.

"—and if you don't want to go with me then, maybe we could meet earlier, say, eleven tonight? For a patrol—"

_"—two—_" James was obviously trying not to laugh either; she decided that she wouldn't need her wand, she'd tear into his infuriating face with her bare hands—

"—so I can pick you up at the Gryffindor common room maybe quarter-to? Unless that's an issue—"

"—_one!"_ Lily grabbed her wand, not sure what she was quite going to do, when suddenly a piece of paper was thrust into her hand. She looked up to see Professor McGonagall standing there, looking from James to Lily and back; the paper was her timetable.

"Potter. Evans. Here are your schedules. You know you've got patrol tonight." She whisked off to the next batch of Gryffindors.

Lily stood stock still, clenching the quavering paper in her hands. James was at least decent enough to not say anything yet; he was looking over his schedule and muttering, "Runes…Creatures…Transfiguration…free…Charms…"

Lily stopped listening. _I do not want to know James Potter's schedule, he's just a blithering fool. He deliberately makes trouble, he's completely out of control, he's arrogant, he's handsome_— Lily stopped, horrified with herself, and frozen. She knew, deep down, that the real reason James was able to get to her so easily was because she liked him a lot. It was a terrible jolt though, when one's own mind betrayed her secret thoughts. Lily bit her lip nervously, what if she _said_ something next? Completely blabbed everything, _everything_, to that four-eyed twit and his gaggle of asinine—

"Come on," whispered Marlene in her ear, tugging on Lily's sleeve. "Let's go. I've got Herbology, excellent, you do too, you can tell me what's wrong then—"

"Nothing's wrong," answered Lily absently as Marlene led her away from the table. "Everything's just…weird…"

"No, you're weird. James said goodbye, you didn't even notice, we've got to get to Professor Sprout before we're late for our first class—"

"James did what?" asked Lily, suddenly coming out of her reverie. Marlene repeated herself. "Oh." Her friend gave her a strange look.

"Lily, really, what's wrong? You've been acting strange, and you've got your knickers in a twist this morning—"

"Marlene, he's just so stupid that I—"

"Ohhhhhhhhhh," nodded Marlene, satisfied. "I get it. This is about James."

"What would give you that idea?" asked Lily immediately, looking rather surly again as they entered the greenhouse and took a seat at their benches. Marlene just shrugged, but held Lily's gaze. Lily submitted with a sigh, deflated like a balloon. She told Marlene every detail of what had happened yesterday and this morning; Marlene, however, seemed to find it funny.

"What's funny about any of this?" demanded Lily.

"You've fallen for James Potter, that's what."

"I know," moaned Lily, plunking her head facedown onto the soil cover.


	6. Classes

They shared their second class, Care of Magical Creatures, with James. Lily was a wreck as she and Marlene hurried across the grounds, a warm wind whipping at their robes.

"This is a stupid class anyway," rambled Lily furtively, "I don't know why I take it at all because it's completely pointless. There's no practical—"

"You take it because you love it," replied Marlene patiently as they picked up their pace. Lily noticed that Marlene was awfully tolerant with her a lot; she ought to remember to thank Marlene later. "You're just worried because James will be there and you've been thinking about him all last period."

"This is true," admitted Lily guiltily as they neared the paddock. "I don't know why I get so angry around him though, when if I really like him I—"

"You're trying not to show him how you feel. That's it," answered Marlene. "Although I thought you had wised up a bit on the Hogwarts Express, maybe if we had thrown you two into a compartment together—"

"Marlene!" They were there. The class was of about sixteen, with members of all houses. Dorcas and Emmeline didn't take this class, but all of James' friends did. Professor Grubbly-Plank gave Lily and Marlene a shifty look as they arrived, breathless, and then she began the lesson, launching into something about dragon scale rot.

Needless to say, Lily couldn't concentrate. She stared only at her notes, pausing occasionally to look up at the professor. Her quill whipped across the parchment in slanted loops; she was taking more notes than she ever did normally. Lily was willing herself not to doodle (which would inevitably lead to pictures of unspeakable things) or to daydream (which would inevitably lead to fantasies of unspeakable things) or to look at James, under any circumstances (which itself was unspeakable). She had the vague impression that he was looking at her, but she did not move so much as a neck muscle to turn her head.

Luckily, Professor Grubbly-Plank was one to lecture and not ask too many questions so that Lily never had to abandon her charade. As soon as the class ended, Lily gathered up her supplies and fairly ran for it. Marlene panted at her heels all the way to the castle.

"Lily," gasped out Marlene. "I'm out of breath."

"Sorry," said Lily immediately, slowing to a walk as they headed to Transfiguration. Marlene inhaled deeply and sputtered as the Fat Friar floated right through her. Lily whacked Marlene on the back.

"It's okay, Lily," she coughed.

"No really, Marlene, I am sorry. I've been behaving very…ah…erratically lately. I decided something in Care of Magical Creatures, when I was actually trying not to think about deciding anything. I'm just going to act normal, as if James was a friend, and see what happens."

"You work on that," spluttered Marlene. "Good for you." Lily gave her a sharp look.

"You sure you're alright?"

"Course I am," answered Marlene bracingly, controlling her coughs. "Nothing Transfiguration with James Potter can't fix—" Lily elbowed her and they laughed together as they entered Professor McGonagall's room.

All day, Lily practiced her hastily-decided mantra. She refrained from running out of the room when James smiled "hello" at her and she didn't collapse into a puddle when he suggested they work together on reviewing human transfiguration. All in all, everything went well. Lily even kept a lock of her hair violet after Transfiguration, although James had offered to take it out for her. Lily managed to get through classes, lunch, and even dinner without a panic attack. She knew that she was causing herself all of these extreme feelings; Lily smiled over her goulash at dinner. _We women are crazy_, she thought, stabbing at an errant potato. _I'll bet James doesn't do this to himself every time he's around me. I'll be none of them do. I'll bet even more that I'm completely blowing this entire thing out of the water, and sending mixed signals, and all of the other things men complain about. Yes, I must be. Oh well._

Lily wound up in the girls dormitory after dinner to get started on a Potions essay on Amortentia. She remembered her own Amortentia; it smelled like wildflowers and wet rain and…well, and James Potter. She had detected an odor of her parents' kitchen as well, which was the third scent she had chosen to write about. Lily filled her entire roll of parchment with red-inked lines. It took her several hours because she often detoured mentally into detailed daydreams and meandering musings. Lily was rolling up the parchment just as Dorcas, Marlene, and Emmeline burst in, the latter two giggling madly.

"What's this?" asked Lily brightly, complacently cheerful for some reason. Dorcas frowned as Emmeline and Marlene tried to control themselves. Emmeline spoke first.

"Dorcas is receiving a…_correspondence_!' she cried triumphantly, waving a sealed envelope in the air. Dorcas snatched it away and poked it with her wand, "_Envanesco!_" It disappeared and Dorcas cried, "Hah!"

"Oooh, who from?" Lily pulled her knees to her chest and settled more comfortably into her bed. Dorcas looked for a moment as if she wasn't going to tell. She then gave in and looked down, quietly saying,

"Fabian Prewett."

Emmeline and Marlene broke into giggles again—even Dorcas offered a small smile—before Emmeline continued, "And that's why that handsome screech owl left Dorcas this little memo this morning, which tumbled out of her robes as on the way up the stairs—"

"Dorcas, I'm so happy for you," interjected Lily. She hadn't even noticed that Dorcas had gotten a letter, of course, but Dorcas brightened up.

"Thanks Lily." They looked at each other and each giggled just a little bit.

"So, that's the 'muggle' you met over summer holidays?" asked Lily. Dorcas went red.

"I…er, yes. I didn't really want to say anything then. If I had said 'wizard' you lot would've been too suspicious, as I thought… He is quite a bit older you know, you might've thought it was weird or…or something…" Emmeline laughed and said,

"Oh Dorrie, we know Fabian Prewett is very fanciable. And after all, would any of us make fun of you for snagging an older gentleman who sends you post on the very first day of school?" Dorcas picked up her pillow and viciously swiped Emmeline over the head.

"Yes, you woud've," replied Dorcas smartly. "And yes, you did. But I don't care, because I really like him, and he really likes me, and I've even met his older brother Gideon, who seems really nice as well. We were together all summer you know, and we talked about loads of things. He taught me more about Quidditch and—"

"—snogging the Merlin out of people?" asked Emmeline innocently with a wicked look in her eyes. Dorcas fumed and tackled Emmeline as Lily and Marlene burst into laughter. Lily found it hard to believe that such different people were best friends. Dorcas was shorter and had a slim, athletic build, and was very blonde, with a sharp-boned face and kind eyes. And Dorcas never paid great attention to her looks. Emmeline was taller than all of them, with dazzling dark hair and eyes and proud features. She always created her bright red lips in the morning and she spent copious amounts of time arranging her luscious hair into elegant confections. Together though, the two of them laughed more than Lily would ever think possible for that odd of a pair. And they were excellent witches in addition.

Eventually, Dorcas and Emmeline resurfaced: Dorcas' ponytail mussed and Emmeline's hair freed of its pins and ribbons. Emmeline was still laughing. Finally Lily spoke up, doing her best not to sound accusatory.

"Do you feel like you're taking this fast, Dorcas?" she mused. "Or is this just a… thing?" Dorcas frowned, though it didn't seem to be directed at Lily; rather, Dorcas appeared to be thinking about this herself. Marlene perked up very timidly,

"Well, with You-Know-Who, we're all…kind of moving faster. We don't know what time we'll have left, you know? Anything could happen any day. Might as well live while we can." Silence greeted this introspective sally. Lily was pensive. Could she possibly be manufacturing all of these feelings for James Potter out of fear? Did she really have a crush on him? Was she rushing to have a relationship because, on some subconscious level, she was afraid of Voldemort?

"Caradoc asked me out. I said yes," said Emmeline quietly, after an awkward moment. Dorcas looked up at her.

"Did you snog?"

Emmeline paused a moment and then, almost shamefaced, said, "Yes." Dorcas broke into laughter and slapped Emmeline on the back. Lily also laughed, and even Marlene gave a big smile.

"And he was very good," she added defensively. Dorcas rolled over, clutching her stomach while Lily held onto the bedpost for support.

There was a soft tapping on the door to the dormitory. Emmeline opened it to find a spellbook levitating in the air, gently hitting into the doorjamb. She looked down to see a chuckling Sirius, an amused James, a scowling Remus, and a squealing Peter waiting in the common room, looking up expectantly. Emmeline plucked the spellbook out of the air; apparently, the book belonged to Remus. Written on the front, in bold, black letters, were the words "LOOK AT THE TIME." Emmeline laughed and winked at the boys before shutting the door. She caught Sirius making a suggestive signal before she turned to the redhead on the second bed.

"Oh Evans," said Emmeline, handing the spellbook to Lily, "I think it may be time for you to patrol." Lily stood up and smiled weakly.


	7. Patrol One Part One

Lily flitted around the dormitory, frantically grabbing her wand and looking at her hair in the mirror. "Hideous!" she cried. Dorcas and Marlene were laughing, and Emmeline began tapping her foot on the floor.

"Time flies, Lily."

"Oh shut up, Vance!" Lily looked at herself in the glass for a final time. Her hair was hanging down in messy curtains, and Lily thought her face was bit pale and faintly like a raccoon's. _Disgusting, really. Good thing we're only out to be friends…_ Lily knew that she was lying to herself, but nonetheless she picked up the spellbook and left the dormitory, just hearing Marlene's "I told you she actually liked him…" Lily slammed the door.

All four of the bloody bastards were waiting for her downstairs. Lily forced a smile and handed Remus his book.

"Thanks," he said ruefully, tossing the graffitied text onto an armchair. Unfortunately, Sirius happened to be lounging in that armchair, and he let out a loud grunt as the book caught him in the stomach. James and Peter laughed.

"C'mon, Lily," said James, taking her arm with one of his charming smiles. "Best we'd be off."

"Bye!" waved Peter. James nodded farewell and they exited the portrait hole. Lily felt her heart beating furiously, _thump thump thump thump_—

"I like your hair like that, Evans," declared James after a few moments of silence. Lily wondered what he was talking about until she blushed, remembering how she had let him turn her hair purple in Transfiguration. James hadn't bothered to concentrate on the spell too much (he had mostly been talking to Lily) and it was fading, so the curl of hair was a reddish currant color.

"Ah…" said Lily lamely. "Yes, well, er, where should we patrol James?"

"Everywhere," answered James with a wink. Lily's heart jackknifed again. At the rate she was going, she wouldn't last the night without undergoing apoplexy. They wandered down the corridor and took a twisty spiral of stairs to the lower level.

"So, er, how was your summer?" asked Lily, feeling it was her turn to initiate conversation. James shrugged.

"Good. Sirius has a new place now, though, so it was mostly packing and grousing. And eating. Loads of that."

"Wait," said Lily curiously, "Sirius Black lives with you?"

"_Lived_ with us," answered James with a grin, "Honestly Evans, do you listen to _anything_ I say? Or do you prefer to just stare at me and dream?" Lily raised her eyebrow, hoping desperately that she wasn't blushing.

"I thought you were over your childish, arrogant stage, James."

"What can I say? I like to stay young, Lily, and you—" James was interrupted by a maniacal laugh from behind. Lily spun on her heel to see Argus Filch, the odious caretaker, fall out from some passage behind a large tapestry. His latest kitten, the hated Mrs. Norris, was prowling towards them. James had whipped out his wand, as Lily was quick to notice, and was only now lowering it as he recognized Filch.

Filch was so wheezing with glee that Lily thought he might suffer a heart attack. He was hurrying towards the pair, panting, with a look of triumph upon his unflattering features.

"AHA! POTTER!" Lily made a face as a fleck of spit hit her cheek. She wiped it off with the arm of her robe. James seemed very at ease, possibly even amused. Filch didn't notice any of this and continued on, pointing his gnarled finger at James and hooting,

"Caught you now, eh Potter? After hours, and with a girl too! Where are your nasty little friends, eh? Scampered off and left you to old Filch, eh? Well this is the last straw now, Dumbledore'll have to—"

"—congratulate me?" interrupted James. Filch paused, chest still heaving.

"Why the hell would he do that?" he spat unceremoniously, although he seemed uncertain. James put on a long-suffering sigh and pointed with a flourish to his Head Boy badge.

"Because," said James, as though trying to explain mathematics to a gerbil, "_I_, just like you, happen to be on patrol. Head Boy, you know."

Filch looked as if someone had just told him that Mrs. Norris was Lord Voldemort. His face crashed into one of the most defeated and evil looks that Lily had ever seen, his eyes darting wildly.

"But… I've caught you! Finally! I have proof! You're _here_, with this girl—"

"The _Head_ Girl, Filch, the Head Girl," sighed James patiently. Lily suspected that he was enjoying this immensely. Filch made a twisting motion with his hands, looking as if he was strangling some imaginary enemy. Lily thought that she could guess who that would be.

"You're still on my list, Potter!" he cried, trying to regain his bluster. "You and Black, and Pettigrew, and Lupin—" James raised his hands helplessly.

"That's something you're going to need to take up with Professor Dumbledore, _sir_." Filch was murderous. He spared James, and then Lily, a final, vicious glance before skulking off, muttering to himself. Mrs. Norris stared at them for a second longer before turning tail and following him. As they disappeared around a corner, James laughed out loud.

"Bet that's a nasty pill for him to swallow, one of the people he'd dearly love to expel now has the privilege to roam the halls—"

"He certainly seems to hate you," observed Lily as she began walking again. James fell in step beside her. "What'd you do to him, James?"

"Lily, the man hated me from my fourth _day_ at Hogwarts, when I accidentally stepped on his ickle kitty—"

"Accidentally?" laughed Lily. James gave her a genial grin and a wink that set her stomach into somersaults.

"Well, I was young and innocent—" Lily snickered "—so, yes, it was mostly an accident."

"Innocent, pah. What are we to do with you, James?" she asked as they approached the girls' toilets on that floor.

"Well, first you could stop walking before you step in that puddle."

"What? That doesn't make sense—" Lily heard a slush. She looked down and saw that she was standing in about two inches of rapidly-spreading water. Lily jumped backwards, nearly slamming into James.

"Knackers!" she exclaimed, balancing herself. Lily felt woozy, and she thought probably had something to do with getting another whiff of the Head Boy's cologne before she moved away. Her shoes were soaked through, and she felt water seeping around her toes. James looked at her and laughed, _he_ had not stepped in the water, the smug roach.

"My, what language from our pristine Head Girl! It's only a bit of damp, Peeves probably pulled the taps—"

"It's 'damp' that we've got to bandy about in all the way to the sinks so we can shut it off, and Merlin knows if it's really from the sinks or else something worse!" she said angrily, retreating further from the water. Something he said seemed to register in her brain and she realized why she was so out of sorts. Lily demanded, "And what makes me so pristine, James Potter?"

"Well," he began, looking at her with a strange sort of smile, "I've never known you to wander after hours, or get detentions, or be late to class, or—"

"Technically, you've never 'known me' at all!" Lily shot back, not totally sure why she was so suddenly infuriated at James' thinking she was a little angel. "It's not like I spend every minute doing homework or reading books. I know where the kitchens are, James."

"But have you ever _been_ to the kitchens?" he asked with a grin. Lily stood cold for a minute and then pinched his arm. Hard.

"Ouch!" James cried, rubbing at the white mark.

"You shout like a woman," muttered Lily, zapping the hem of her robes dry. In retaliation, James pushed her forwards into the water.

"Arrgh!" Lily stumbled into the puddle, her shoes splashing loudly. James had just opened his mouth to chuckle when Lily twirled her wand and a stream of water hit James square in the eye. He choked.

"Oh, so that's it, Evans?" He growled in a very convincing way and waded towards her. Lily squealed, all anger once again forgotten, and ran for it. She was heading straight into the girls' room.

Indeed, the sinks were all gushing loudly like miniature waterfalls. Lily ran past them, turning the taps as she went, before James' arms closed on her from behind. _There's that smell again_—

"Let go!" she cried, laughing like an idiot for no reason.

"No," answered James, who was also laughing. Lily resisted half-heartedly as she tried to catch her breath. She could feel his cheek on hers, warm, very warm… _Hmm…_ Lily ceased her struggles and relaxed, even as her brain shouted _No, no you fool! This is a bad move, you see, very bad—_

"Lily?" James' voice was husky and low, and he had not let go of her.

"Yes?" she breathed softly, sounding to her angry, cognitive brain like a fluttery airhead. _Nooo Lily, nooo! He'll break your heart_—Lily caught sight of herself and James in one of the mirrors. Her face was flushed and her hair was wild, and she was breathing raggedly through open lips. James was staring intently at her, his hazel eyes barely illuminated in the faint light from the hallways. His arms were still firmly wrapped around her, and she fit naturally into the crook of his neck. Their eyes met in the mirror and the contact was electric.

"I…I think w-we should go back to patrols," supplied Lily in a shaky voice, before her intentions got the best of her.

James didn't say anything and didn't move. He was still all around her, and he inhaled deeply. _She smells like flowers and fire_, he thought, before he slowly, reluctantly released her. He didn't want to force her into anything, although he was stretched nearly to the breaking point.

Lily also was slow in leaving James, and the warmth of his arms. She turned around and faced him, staring straight into him with her blazing emerald eyes. Without looking away, she reached over and turned off the last two spigots.

"Come on," she said softly, and James thought that he saw something in her impassive face that wasn't there before. She made a movement, and James looked down to see her hand outstretched; her delicate, long fingers barely uncurled. James understood and took her hand in his. He squeezed once, and quietly, they sloshed out of the bathroom, neither looking at the other but both very aware that they were not alone.

**Yay! I had reviews, so I will continue. I smile. And flora, you are too good to me ;)**


	8. Patrol One Part Two

They entered the hallway. It was empty and silent, except for the noise of the swilling water. James led Lily out of the flood, which took a good few minutes. Lily, meanwhile, was interested in James' hand. She had barely taken a breath since… whatever had happened in the loo, and now, nerves on end, all she could think about was how comfortable his large hand was around hers. _Stupid, stupid stupid_, she thought to herself, although her heart wasn't at all in her self-chiding. His hand was snug and inviting, and his body heat seemed to both sear at her skin and warm her very bones. _This is confusing_, she thought vaguely, before James turned to look at the mess.

"We'd better clean it up?" he asked carefully, staring over the corridor and not at Lily. Lily nodded, and then realized with a smash of her stomach that it was a stupid thing to do, and then said,

"Yes."

James looked down at his wand hand, which was clasped in Lily's. Lily blushed.

"No, no, it's fine," he said gently, unlacing his fingers from hers and taking his wand from his robes. He waved the wand in the direction of the bathroom and the water ran off, as if in rewind. Lily was very quiet, not saying anything and gazing at her shoes. James cleaned up their robes and footwear as well, before transferring his wand to his left hand and taking Lily's once more.

She looked up at him quickly, her large eyes luminous and… almost scared. Or shocked. Or something else. James felt a winch around his chest at that look. It gave him a good feeling, that. He smiled easily and started off again, feeling like he was flying on his broomstick a bajillion meters in the air. They were hushed, until James said,

"You didn't know about Sirius and me?" Lily paused. _He's trying not to be awkward, and you're still holding his hand. SAY SOMETHING!_

"That you were gay rent-boys? No, I wasn't aware."

James stuck out his bottom lip petulantly and nudged her with his shoulder, while pretending to look hurt, effectively breaking the discomfort and turning it into something sweeter. She laughed and said,

"Truthfully, I didn't know he had lived with you at all. Are you related somehow? I know you're both purebloods."

"Well, I guess in some way by marriage, but really no. Sirius ran away from his home, you see, hated his folks, and stayed with us. Since he turned seventeen, we've been flat-hunting."

"That's real great of you. I guess you two are really close," said Lily, inwardly envious of such a friendship. James shrugged, uncomfortable with something that sounded remarkably like praise from Lily Evans.

"It's nothing really, not like we can't afford it and all… The hard part was when his mother came raging up our doorstep, now _that_ was a nightmare…" Lily giggled and James continued, as they navigated floor after floor. Nothing so interesting as a flooded loo showed up again. They wandered in comfortable chatter, friendly and open, but still holding hands.

After what seemed like minutes, but must have really been an hour or more, Lily and James arrived at the Fat Lady's portrait. They were both laughing at Lily's story, one about her finding out she was a witch.

"—alligators all over the den, Mum nearly fainted, Petunia wouldn't talk to me for _weeks_…"

James laughed appreciatively and squeezed her hand as the Fat Lady gave him a beady look and a "harrumph!"

"Mr. Potter."

"Mrs. Lady," said James with a roguish wink. Lily got the idea that this was something that happened often. The Fat Lady tried to be stern.

"And where were you off to with Miss Lily so late in the evening?"

"Why, patrols madam, what else? _Remembrall_." The Fat Lady eyed them both and then chuckled, her face softening.

"Well, then dears, go on in. You be careful, Lily, he's a wily one."

"I know," said Lily, and she and the Fat Lady giggled as the portrait swung forward. Laughing, James and Lily entered the Gryffindor common room.

The fire was burning low, with glowing embers scattered liberally amongst the flames. A reddish glow filled the entire room, flickering in Lily's hair and giving it life. James walked her to the girls' staircase before he stopped. Lily turned to face him.

"Goodnight Lily," said James, piercing her with his intense gaze.

"Goodnight James," she answered, squirming under his inspection. Their hands unclasped but still Lily didn't move. James looked at her funnily now; she appeared to be having an inner debate. He had expected her to run up the stairs, up and away from him as usual Lily bit her lip and James suddenly felt a surge of longing shoot up through his body.

Suddenly, Lily bent forward and kissed him clumsily on the cheek. Her cool hair brushed his face before she reddened, turned, and fairly ran up the stairs, pausing only to close the door quietly so as not to wake anyone.

James stared up after her and his hand went to his cheek, where he could still feel her silky lips brush his skin. Then he ruffled his hair. _Prongs_, he said sternly to himself, _you've got it bad_. He sighed and went off to his own room, tripping twice and forgetting how to open the door.

…

Lily quickly stripped off her robes and threw on her pajama shorts and top, crawling between the sheets. _What did you do, you idiot!_ her mind squeaked angrily, berating her miserable heart. _I know, I know bad Lily, no biscuit, but I wanted to real badly… he was so cute, and so nice, and funny…_ She sighed and smiled to herself, really smiled for the first time, snuggling deeper under the comforter.

_You'd better hope he doesn't expect this all the time!_ shouted her brain. _Yes, I know… _Lily still smiled as she drifted off to sleep

**Reviews are always, constantly appreciated. Just saying.**


	9. Horror

But James didn't do anything at breakfast the next morning. On the contrary, he was still sitting with his three friends, laughing and carrying on as usual. He had hardly looked at her yet. Lily was both relieved and nervous, because what if this meant that he hated her? _It was a stupid thing to do!_ thought Lily angrily, mashing into her eggs. _Who kisses anyone on the cheek? I mean honestly, he thinks you're a psychotic prude…_

"Morning Lily!" said Emmeline brightly, plopping down in front of her. _Emmeline's hair is perfect as usual_, Lily thought. Lately she had been noticing the other girls in her year, and how so many of them seemed fantastically beautiful compared to her. _And her skin is never blotchy. She always looks so confident and cool—_

"Hey Lily," Dorcas said, sitting on Emmeline's left. Marlene took her seat next to Lily. _And Marlene has such perfect curls, it's not fair really. And Dorcas can eat whatever she wants and not gain—_

"So," began Emmeline wickedly, slicing an apple. "We wanted to wait up for you, Evans, but you were just so late…well, we needed our rest. So how was your snog?"

Lily nearly spat out her chocolate milk. _How did she know? She couldn't have seen! And that's hardly a snog, she can't—Ah,_ she thought wisely, seeing Emmeline's red-lipped smirk. _She's joking, just joking, hah, of course…_ Lily decided to calm down. No one could have seen, and besides, who would begrudge her a little peck on the cheek? The best thing to do would be to joke it off, because thinking about patrols with James still gave her the shivers.

"Excellent," replied Lily primly as she regained her composure. "We have loads in common." This time it was Emmeline's eyes that bugged out of her head.

"Really?" she asked excitedly. "You and James really…"

"James?" asked Lily in mock surprise. "Heavens no, Vance, I was talking about Caradoc." Dorcas and Marlene laughed; Dorcas snorted right into her porridge. Wiping her eyes, Dorcas said,

"She's got you there, Emmy." Emmeline raised her eye brow, attempting to look extremely aloof and huffy.

"Hah. Let Lily have her fun. I would just like to inform her that Caradoc is perfectly entertained with me," she replied smugly.

Lily glanced over at the tall Ravenclaw with wavy brown hair, who was laughing with his friends and sneaking glances at Emmeline.

"He plays Quidditch, right Emmeline?" asked Lily curiously. Emmeline grinned and winked.

"Oh yes. He's the Ravenclaw captain this year. Chaser, you know. I think we'll have a problem at matches now, what with you cheering for James and me—"

"Dreaming of snogging Caradoc?" suggested Dorcas. Emmeline scowled.

"Well yes," she answered, sending the three girls into titters, "but I was even thinking of trying out for our team this year. I do really like flying and all, and I'm sure I can get Mum to send me my broom—"

"Why?" asked Dorcas impatiently, "So you can moon over Dearborn during every game?" Dorcas, although not a Quidditch player herself, was very serious about the sport and her team, the Holyhead Harpies. Deprived of Harpy mania during the school terms, she was a fierce Gryffindor supporter and as bad as any boy with the excitement before important matches.

"And," continued Dorcas, ignoring Emmeline's nasty looks, "you'd never be any good at it, because your hair'd get messed up by a Bludger, although you would be a good Beater since you're so—"

"Thank you, Dorcas, best friend," snapped Emmeline loudly. "Just saying. Although with support like this from my mates, I might as well go over to the Slytherin table—" Marlene shuddered. Lily looked at her quizzically and asked,

"What's up, Marley? Someone from Slytherin bothering you?" Emmeline waved her hand dismissively.

"How can anyone be bothering her? It's the second bloody day of class—" Marlene was nodding, looking nervous. Emmeline stopped. Marlene, as the most gentle of the girls, was looked after like a little sister by the more aggressive three. Dorcas looked at Marlene seriously.

"Who?" Although her face was very even, Dorcas sounded the slightest bit menacing.

"Well," began Marlene awkwardly, "in Astronomy, yesterday, you know I don't have classes with you guys, and so I was sitting there with Miriam Strout and I looked over and there was this boy staring at me. He's a Slytherin, and I've never talked to him at all. Ever. He just stared and stared, and even when I looked straight at him, he didn't stop. I didn't like the way he was looking, he seemed like he was mean…and oh I don't know I didn't want to mention it to you lot, but it just seemed, sort of odd, you know? And—"

"What did he look like?" asked Lily patiently. "No one has the right to make you feel uncomfortable, Marlene."

"Well, he had real pale eyes, and longish dark hair—"

"Dear, you're describing Sirius Black!" interrupted Emmeline with a smirk. Dorcas glared at her. Down the table, Sirius looked up from his bacon.

"Someone call me?" he said loudly. Emmeline rolled her eyes and waved her hand in a shooing motion. Sirius winked and went back to his breakfast.

Lily froze. James was looking over too, and he didn't seem pleased. He met Lily's eyes and she smiled tentatively. After a moment, he broke into a wide grin and went back to talking, although Lily noticed (or hoped she noticed) that he seemed to be smiling a bit more than he had been. _I wonder if he thought I was talking about Sirius—_

"No, I'm not!" argued Marlene hotly, wrenching Lily back to the present. Marlene's cheeks were getting red. "He wasn't like Sirius at all! He was shorter for one thing, and he had real watery eyes, like…like I don't know. And he had this faint mustache, and it made him look real mean, like someone who tortures animals—"

"Tortures animals?" Emmeline exclaimed. "You've never even _talked_ to the boy, and you already set him up as being some sort of killing nutter—"

"What Emmeline is _trying_ to say," interrupted Dorcas, shooting Emmeline a warning glance, "is that we don't even know who this boy is. I can't tell from your description, but maybe we'll wander by your Astronomy class tomorrow and see if we can place him—"

"Oh no!' cried Marlene, blushing furiously, "You don't need to do that! Besides, Emmeline is probably right, it's probably just me—"

"Don't say that, because Emmeline didn't say it either!" interjected Lily. It wasn't right for Marlene to get so upset over this; she didn't deserve it and she hardly did anything to anyone. "We just want to be sure. I mean, we're not mad for it or anything, but we'd still like to see what's going on. Okay? Let's drop it."

"Especially if he's in stinking Slytherin," muttered Dorcas, giving the entire Slytherin table such a glare that if it had been turned on Lily, she would have headed for the hills.

"Let's drop it," repeated Emmeline loudly, nudging Dorcas with her elbow. Dorcas looked mutinously at Emmeline and speared her sausage with venom. There was a moment of quiet.

"So," said Emmeline in a light voice, "If I get on the Quidditch team, I'll get to share the locker room with James—" Lily tossed a pear at her. Emmeline ducked. They all laughed and chatted, putting the shadow of doubt and darkness at bay.

At least, until later that morning. Lily and Marlene were returning to castle from Care of Magical Creatures when they saw a group of third-year Ravenclaw girls walking towards them. Their leader seemed to be a shorter girl with short, curly hair as red as Lily's, and a generous amount of freckles. She was discussing something with another girl, in a very happy voice.

"—and I've heard all about Hogsmeade, the only non-Muggle settlement in—"

Professor McGonagall came rushing over and tapped the girl on the shoulder. She looked very worn, and sad, and she had a very tight look on her face. Lily and Marlene saw McGonagall pull the girl aside and whisper something in her ear. The girl's smile froze right off and her eyes widened.

"No!" she cried, her voice rising to a scream. "No! Not Mum! They can't—he can't! No! NO!" Professor McGonagall tried to calm her.

"Now, now. Let's be right off, Joey, they're still in St. Mungo's, you'll be fine, come now, up you go—" Half-wrestling, half-cajoling, McGonagall led the hysterical girl into the castle while her friends remained dumbfounded. One of the girls burst into tears.

Lily and Marlene were stopped cold; Lily with her hand over her mouth. Marlene whispered,

"Her family…it must have been You-Know-Who…"

"Voldemort," said Lily, in a horrified sort of undertone. Marlene flinched and looked at Lily with wet eyes.

"Lily! How could you—"

"Because I have to," said Lily quietly, as she began walking again. She was slow, and thoughtful, and she felt so sorry for that girl that she could barely move her feet. Somehow, James' face at the prefects' meeting stuck in her mind.

"I have to believe he can be stopped, Marlene, and I have to believe he's just as fragile as me. I have to," she finished, her voice breaking. With heavy hearts, they trudged toward the entrance together, arm and arm, as a shrill breeze whistled across the Hogwarts grounds.

**Bit of an intense chapter, but I figured I can't just ignore ol' Voldemort... eh, more Lily and James next one I think.**

**Thanks to all you kind reviewers who encourage me!**


	10. Friends

At lunch, they met up with Emmeline and Dorcas. Emmeline (uncharacteristically pale) told them that Joey Jenkins' parents and younger siblings had been attacked by Death Eaters, and that only her father and little brother survived.

"Caradoc told me," said Emmeline shakily, "Joey was on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team last year, and was apparently very good… He—Caradoc—said it was weird when you knew the person, you know? Not well—she was a third year—but wow, that's something…" Emmeline fell silent. Lily stared into her soup, at a loss for words. She wanted to talk these things over, but how? Joey had been rushed to St. Mungo's to visit her father and it didn't seem proper…

"I heard they haven't been able to bring her brother round yet at the hospital," said Marlene, practically echoing Lily's thoughts. The entire Ravenclaw table was quiet, ashen-faced and sad. Even Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were subdued. The only table to even make an attempt at acting ordinary was the Slytherin group. Dorcas sat facing Slytherin today and constantly threw contemptuous looks at the joking students. Emmeline didn't say anything. Lily nodded to Marlene, realizing that this was neither the time nor place. Maybe later on, with James—

_James_, thought Lily with a jolt, her eyes automatically flicking over to the messy-haired Head Boy, who was listlessly changing the color of his bread with his wand. He was still talking with Sirius, Remus, and Peter, but all of them were speaking in undertones. _Now why did that name pop into my head? _ Lily wondered. _Maybe because we got on so well last night, false sense of security you know_…

"Well," said Emmeline heavily, standing up from the table. "I'm meeting Caradoc and we're going to Potions together. We'll see you lot there?" Dorcas nodded and Emmeline went over to the Ravenclaw table to retrieve her quiet boyfriend. Moments later, Dorcas finished her roll.

"C'mon, we'd better go too." The girls started over to the dungeons. Dorcas entered the class first and Lily heard a loud snort. She and Marlene followed to find Dorcas with her face etched in wry amusement, looking at a blushing Caradoc and Emmeline. The four friends and Caradoc were the only ones there.

"Sorry, Dearborn, but Emmeline's got to partner with me today so we can finish the Babbling Beverage."

"Right," said Caradoc quickly, "'Lo Dorcas, Lily, Marlene." He released Emmeline and moved his cauldron to another spot. Emmeline sneered at Dorcas but couldn't contain a little grin as she took her place next to her. Dorcas rolled her eyes and pinched her friend good-naturedly.

Lily stood with Marlene and began laying out her ingredients as the rest of the students filed in. Professor Slughorn was last as usual, wearing robes of resplendent mint. The attacks had temporarily broken Lily out of her James-induced daze, and she scrutinized the other members of her Potions class.

She was surprised to see that most of the tiny class were Gryffindors. They were herself, her girlfriends, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter (_Who, incidentally,_ thought Lily, _has very nice hands from this angle_—). The only Ravenclaw was Caradoc Dearborn and the rest were Slytherins. Severus Snape and Evan Rosier, working together on one cauldron. N.E.W.T.s Potions taught here were quite difficult, and although anyone who wanted to be in this class _had_ to be good at Potions, Lily and Severus Snape were the runaway best. She noticed that Peter Pettigrew obviously hadn't made it this far.

Professor Slughorn cheerfully greeted the students and informed them to continue with their potions from the previous class. He waddled around, taking notes and making comments here and there.

"Boys, boys!" cried Professor Slughorn genially, swishing past Lily to the Marauders. Remus was working with Caradoc Dearborn; the two were chuckling into their solution and talking about something. They, however, were nowhere near the level of Sirius and James, who were practically wrestling over their cauldron.

"What seems to be the trouble here? I—Mr. Black!" Slughorn exclaimed, just as Sirius succeeded in shoving a bit of something into James' mouth.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black," said Slughorn sternly, which Lily thought made him look a bit like an ugly puffleskein. Sirius just smirked widely and shrugged. He caught Lily looking and winked, gesturing with his head at James.

"James?" asked Slughorn. All at once a rather stupid look came over James' face. He stared vacantly, his eyes barely focused on the squat professor.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" queried Slughorn, dusting a bit of lint off his robes. James didn't respond.

"Well?" he demanded. James swayed in place before he burst into a wide grin.

"I love you!" shouted James, embracing Slughorn in a tight squeeze.

"Well, I…er…this is most irregular," exclaimed Slughorn from somewhere around the height of James' chest. Both Caradoc and Remus snorted into their potion and Sirius began sniggering. A quick observation of their cauldron revealed a potent Elixir to Induce Euphoria.

"And I love you! And you! And you!" exclaimed James, racing over to hug Sirius, who struggled forcefully.

"Geroff me Prongs, come on—"

"And you! I love you lots! What a marvelous day!" cried James, hurrying over to clinch both Dorcas and Emmeline. He patted Evan Rosier on the head before skipping over to Lily. A vital organ tumbled in her rib cage as James mashed her to his chest, squashing her face into his robes. Lily thought she heard Slughorn saying something before James boomed,

"And Lily Evans! I love you! I—" Strong arms yanked James backwards. Breathless Lily saw Sirius and Remus on either side of James trying to pin him down. Professor Slughorn was shouting something about a remedy and hurrying into the storeroom. Everything was in chaos. James was belting out a drinking song and giggling. Sirius and Remus were having a time of trying to get him to calm down ("Wow! D'you know, you guys are my best friends ever? Honest!"). Slughorn came running with a small bottle of pink liquid. Things got only worse as James elbowed Remus in the face while trying a merry tap dance. Caradoc lunged just in time to stop him from overturning their Exploding Fluid, which fizzled dangerously. Slughorn raced to Lily and with some difficulty she wrenched her eyes away from the scene.

"Lily! I'll need your—"

"Sure thing, Professor." Lily deftly zapped her bubbling potion into a bottle and Slughorn dumped the antidote into the clean cauldron. She heated it with her wand and, as an afterthought, poured in some powdered moonstone (James was aiming to waltz with Caradoc, who was not taking it so well).

"Excellent idea, Lily!" cried Slughorn, delighted. "The moonstone is exactly what—" Lily gritted her teeth. At a time like this, she didn't think she'd be able to handle another tickling compliment from the aggravating professor.

Luckily, James chose this moment to accidentally throw his spellbook at Emmeline, who ducked. The book smacked Snape upside the head and he whipped out his wand. Slughorn winced and dipped a beaker into the glutinous brew. "Now, boys, if you could just bring the afflicted over here, we'll settle this right up. He'll be set to rights in no time."

Between Sirius, Caradoc, and Remus, James' mouth was wrenched open and Slughorn managed to dribble in the curing draught. All at once, James stiffened. His smile sagged and the vacant look left his eyes. He swayed, staggered once, and (supported by a panting Remus) managed to stand on his feet. James groaned and rubbed his head, massaging his temples furiously.

"Wonderful, wonderful," cried Slughorn. "Thank you, boys. Now Mr. Potter, how do you feel?"

"Like I just fell into the Whomping Willow from twenty meters up," groaned James.

"Well, the sudden mood swing can do that to you. I assume that was an Elixir to Induce Euphoria, gentlemen?"

Sirius nodded, James gagged.

"I must say, I've hardly come across such a very potent creation in quite a while…perhaps too much juice…yes…but so very fast-acting…" Far from being mad, Slughorn appeared to be muttering to himself over Sirius and James' cauldron of potion like it was a clinical puzzling.

"Yes…yes…and no doubt you didn't wait for the steam before adding the next ingredients—could've been dangerous, lucky he wasn't hurt—but yes, I still must say, _very_ fast-acting…" Lily noticed that Severus Snape, still clutching his wand, had narrowed his eyes and was looking with extreme revulsion at the Gryffindor boys; a muscle was bulging in cheek. Sirius also caught his look and made a very superior face back at Snape, which Slughorn didn't notice. Snape's mouth curled into an evil scowl and the hand gripping his wand was turning white.

"And were it not for Miss Evans," said Slughorn loudly, straightening up from the cauldron with a wide grin at Lily, "you might've gone on with your hysterical euphoria for quite some time, James."

"Ah," said James, looking relieved that Lily had been responsible for the cure. "So Lily made the antidote, did she?" He glanced sideways at Snape and Rosier. Lily thought she understood what he meant; the way the Slytherins were glaring, she wouldn't have ingested anything from them either, whether they said it was a remedy or not. Slughorn continued animatedly,

"Oh yes! Well I had the antidote concentrate, but she graciously volunteered her cauldron to fix it up, helped it along a bit too—" Slughorn winked brashly at Lily, making her redden slightly.

"It was nothing," she mumbled, somehow unable to meet anyone in the eye.

"But it was!" exclaimed Slughorn enthusiastically. "Ingenious to add the moonstone right then, really…I had no idea so many Gryffindors were so skilled at potion brewing! Although, in Lily 's case, she knows what I think of that!"

"Professor," she said flatly, "I've told you before that I don't belong in—in Slytherin." Lily had been about to say something nasty before she remembered that Slughorn, Snape, and Rosier were all connected to Slytherin House.

"Ah well," he said fondly, "Nonetheless, the occasion does call for me to take points away from Gryffindor. So five points away for you, Mr. Black, for testing out your potion on your partner. Although it reminds me of an occasion with your cousin Bellatrix…"

Sirius wrinkled his nose in aristocratic distaste. Bellatrix Black had graduated a year ahead of Lily, and it was well know that Sirius wanted as little to do with his family as possible. If the rumors were true, Bellatrix had married Rodolphus Lestrange straight off Hogwarts and they had vanished from common knowledge.

"…but you lot are clearly very capable," he carried on, oblivious to Snape's eyes widening in fury, "and I'd be hard pressed to find a faster response to a well-created problem. So I'm giving ten points _to_ Gryffindor for a most potent potion and an inspired antidote. Miss Evans, you never cease to amaze me!"

"Me neither," mutter James audibly, looking straight at Lily, who blushed. There was a small _snick_ as Snape plunged his silver dagger directly into the desktop. Slughorn ignored it.

"But I'm afraid I can't let you partner together anymore. You are a most potent combination yourselves, you know—" Sirius and James grinned wickedly "—and so Mr. Potter, you will work with Lily on the next assignment. Miss McKinnon, if you would be so kind as to work with Mr. Black—"

"Yes! A might sight prettier than James, I must say…" Sirius tossed an appraising smile at Marlene, who turned a faint pink. James rolled his eyes. Slughorn moved on.

"Come on now, gather your ingredients. The rest of you, I'm coming to check your potions. I know at least the Euphoria potion works very well—" Lily helped Marlene quickly assemble her belongings so she could levitate them to the other table.

"Bye, Marley, and good luck," muttered Lily with a pointed nod at Sirius. Marlene looked nervous.

"Thanks, Lily, you too."

She left just as James plunked his cauldron on the table and summoned his textbook from across the room. He smiled widely at Lily, who was concentrating only that musk-and-soap smell wafting on the air,

"So then, Lily," said James presently, arranging his mortar and pestle, "does this incident make us friends?"

He was trying to sound offhand, but Lily knew that there was another tone in the question. She also knew what her answer would mean to the both of them.

"I suppose we can be friends now."

James' head whipped up and Lily looked away into her lacewing flies. She was very warm all of a sudden.

"Well all right then," he said with such an energetic grin that Lily felt a pang of something in her chest; did her friendship mean this much to him?

"Can't wait for patrols tonight," he added. Lily's cheeks burned as the class was dismissed.

**Ah, the cliff-hanger! Well, not so much "cliff" as, say, "curb" but something will happen with them next chapter, I promise.**

**Right, so then, I just discovered that there are reviews for individual chapters in addition to the "all chapter" ones (hey, it _is_ my first fanfic!) so I apologize for anyone who I didn't respond to who might have felt left out. Unless no one cared and I was just overeacting—I'll halt my rambling. Anywho, I think I'll just respond to direct questions or super-outstanding things here.**

**THANKS FOR ALL REVIEWERS, and especially a certain person who made this story a delightful (and verbally sound) anecdote all its own!**


	11. Waiting for Patrols

The day passed in a haze. Lily went through the motions, laughing and chatting. She shoveled her food in at dinnertime and meandered to the common room with her friends. They talked and discussed classes and the attacks and Lily didn't remember the least bit of any conversation because her thoughts returned to James and that night. She couldn't even bring herself to do her homework.

Eventually, Dorcas went up early to write a reply letter to Fabian (an action for which Emmeline made a comment or two) and the three girls continued shooting the breeze. Emmeline and Lily kept asking Marlene about partnering with Sirius Black in Potions, a topic that Marlene did not seem to want to discuss. James and his friends were not in the common room, and Lily couldn't help but wonder where they were. Emmeline soon left to go on her prefect patrol and Lily and Marlene retreated to their dormitories, still talking about Sirius Black.

"What did you two talk about?" asked Lily for about the hundredth-time when they entered their room. Dorcas immediately tied up her letter with a red ribbon and stuffed it into her bag.

"I've already told you!" replied Marlene. "We just…chatted."

"Is this about Sirius Black?" Dorcas asked interestedly, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

"_Yes,_ and I really have nothing to say!" exclaimed Marlene.

"Your cheeks are red."

"I don't care."

"Did something happen?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I think I would be!"

"Alright…do you like him?"

"NO!" cried an exasperated Marlene, changing into her nightgown. "We were just talking about stuff; we didn't exactly have a lot of time anyway since we changed classes so quick. He offered me a peppermint humbug and I said thank you! Alright? Is that allowed? _Merlin_, you two!"

Dorcas and Lily exchanged a secret smile. Marlene wasn't playing quiet for nothing. She, however, perceived their glance and hastily tried to change the topic,

"D'you think McGonagall expects us to identify all of the Age Line signs tomorrow, or just—"

"Age Line!" cried Lily aloud (_Would James expect special treatment now that—_) while wringing her hands. "We need that for tomorrow?"

"Yes," said Marlene smugly, happy to have foisted agitation upon someone else.

"Take a running jump, Marlene!" gnashed Dorcas as she scrambled for her discarded quill. "_How_ could I have forgotten, that damned Age Line…"

"You two were probably too occupied with your prospective loves…"

Both Lily and Dorcas shot decisively annoyed glares as Marlene, who merely chuckled, and began working on their essays. Marlene settled in to read a book. A little over an hour later, Emmeline strode in, breathless, and shut the door.

"Guess who I just saw?" she exclaimed, tossing her robes onto her bed and pulling on her pajamas.

"Slughorn in a dress?" suggested Dorcas dryly as she put down her quill. Emmeline ignored her.

"Well, it was James Potter, and he was out with Lupin after hours—"

"Wait, he was out after hours?" interrupted Lily, who straightened up at the mention of James. Emmeline nodded impatiently; she didn't appear to have noticed Lily's sudden interest.

"Not like he can get caught for it Lily—and Remus neither—because they're allowed to patrol. Anyway,_ I_ was on patrol with Caradoc and James told me that he was already thinking about Quidditch since he made was Captain, and that I could definitely give it a go at tryouts and he was looking for a new Beater anyway, and I might be able to make it! And then Caradoc wasn't too chuffed with that—being Ravenclaw's man and all—and James told him where to get off but they were both pretty good-natured, and then the Fat Friar came over and—"

"Excited, just a bit?" interrupted Dorcas with an amused expression.

"_And_," continued Emmeline amid a flourish, "that's not all! I found out from Caradoc that the boy from your Astronomy class, Marlene, is named Travers and he's definitely an oddball. He hung out with Avery, remember? This is his first year without him—since Avery graduated—and Travers has been spotted as being a bit off his rocker, mostly a loner, you know? So there, I _have _been productive! Hah!" No one spoke. Indeed (as Lily mentioned moments later) there was much to say to this. Emmeline just laughed and flopped down, sighing and looking at her bed hangings. Then Dorcas spoke.

"I didn't know Caradoc was a prefect." Emmeline didn't move but a sly smile crept over her face.

"He's not, but Filch doesn't know it. We got Worple to loan him the Ravenclaw prefect badge. I needed company."

"_Emmeline_!" snorted Lily, as Dorcas chucked a pillow at her best friend. "Were you even actually _patrolling_ with Caradoc?"

"Of course." There was a pause. "Most of the time." The girls laughed. Emmeline propped herself up on one arm.

"What? I did good, didn't I?"

"Yeah, real nice one mate. You found out someone's name and necked your boyfriend—" Dorcas was cut off by her own pillow flying back at her.

"Nevertheless, thank you Emmeline," said Marlene. "I appreciate you…er, taking time to find him out."

"Still bothering you, Marley?" asked Dorcas in what would be a light tone if her eyes weren't so fierce. Marlene shrugged casually.

"Not so much. Professor Sinistra told him off and he hasn't spoken to me. I suppose I was just scared, that's all. I don't like the way he looked…"

"You just tell us if there is something else going on," said Emmeline in a faintly motherly tone. "And isn't it time for _you_ to patrol, Lily?"

Lily, who had been counting down the minutes to patrol, said off-handedly, "Oh, you're right," and stood up. She took hold of her wand and fluffed her hair once before leaving the dormitory, determined not to listen to her friends chatting about her and James. She descended the stairs, spotted James halfway through, and nearly fell down. Lily recovered and met James with a shaky smile and a greeting at the bottom.

"Hi there."

He was alone this time, and there wasn't anyone left in the common room. Lily didn't know if this was a result of James' design or not, but she appreciated it even if the idea of being alone with him made her slightly nervous. _Best not to make an ass of yourself in front of all of Gryffindor, just James'll do…_

He smiled at her. "'Lo Lily. _Friend_ Lily. Ready to stop the bad guys?"

"Quite," she replied, inexplicably grinning as well. James offered her his arm. She stared at him for a moment and then accepted wordlessly. Together they left the portrait hole and wandered down the corridors, every moment increasing Lily's trepidation at what would happen at the end of the night. What she didn't know was that James was thinking along the same lines as she…

**So perhaps I lied last chapter, but naturally patrols are coming up and the next chapters are chock-full of LJ so don't worry. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed!**


	12. Patrols With a Punch

They walked contently, indulging in animated chatter. Lily was surprised at how well she and James got along when they were not sniping at each other; had he always been like this and she hadn't noticed it? They navigated two whole floors without the slightest bit of discomfort. And although Lily was trying not to, she couldn't help but notice how nice James smiled, or how good it was to make him laugh. Try as she might to the contrary, Lily realized that she was definitely falling for James Potter.

When they hit the lowest level of the castle, there was an incident. As they strode, still arm-in-arm, down the corridors, the two teens heard a slick _phsst_. Lily and James hurried around a corner just to see a wall of the dungeons seal. James broke away and practically flew to the door, running his hands over it in concentration. Lily, feeling suddenly cold, followed him and stood behind as James knelt down at the base of the wall.

"Well what's this all about, I wonder?" said Lily after a few minutes of James' intensive scrutiny. James stood up abruptly, shoving his hand through his hair in frustration.

"_This_," he replied, thumbing at the door, "is the Slytherin common room. I wonder why it's been open. Remus, Sirius, Peter and me thought they were up to something tonight…Going in or going out…hmm…"

Lily scoffed although she was faintly uneasy. "We didn't see anyone in this hall. How could they've been going out?" James waved his hand dismissively.

"There are ways to be invisible, Lily. Point is that someone could be here right now, and we wouldn't know a damned thing unless we heard it. They definitely made it just in the nick of time and since the door's closed so tight I don't think they ran out. Would've been in more a hurry, see. Hmm…shifty bastards…"

"James, you're being scary. There's nothing here," said Lily shakily, backing up into the opposite wall. _Calm down, you're trembling. It's nothing, it's nothing. Just some mistake, just some kid…_. Swallowing, Lily stretched out her arms and began feeling around the air. Dumbledore's voice seemed to ring in her head and her hands met nothing. Lily didn't like thinking about people she couldn't see; she wanted enemies out in the open, where she could hex them properly and where they couldn't sneak around—

"I…I don't feel anythi—anyone here…James, _please_." He looked up at her, hair tousled over his bright eyes, and he closed the distance between them in two strides. He came closer and closer until she was back up against the cold wall.

"I'm not gonna let anything hurt you, okay?" he whispered, breath tickling her ear. "I just think we'll need to approach patrols carefully in the near future."

"Alright. _Alright_," agreed Lily slowly, taking in a deep breath. His body heat radiated to her over a gap of maybe a hand's width. She gazed right into his eyes. _So very very hazel…_

"And you've got me up against a wall, Potter, so if you could move…" He flicked his brows in amusement before answering in a husky voice,

"No, I don't think I want to." And then he kissed her.

Lily sensed fire spreading throughout her body as James' lips closed over hers and he pressed softly into her mouth. She felt his arm snaking around her waist, putting a warm barrier between her and the dank stone. Lily's hands traveled of their own volition and crept around his neck, with her fingers tangled in his hair. He made a rough noise from his throat as his other hand moved to the back of her head.

_Merlin, _she thought breathlessly, barely able to think at all. _They were right; the boy can kiss_… James pulled her up against him and she sighed into his mouth before he ran his tongue along her lip and she—

A keening singing voice broke through the air, an unnerving cackle that swooped down the corridor.

"Got to get those ickle firsties, dropping dungbombs ain't the worsties—"

"Peeves," muttered James, sounding harassed. "C'mon." They broke apart and James grabbed Lily's hand, diving behind a statue and up a narrow staircase before Peeves had turned the dungeon corner. They hurried up several more flights of stairs. It was only inside the empty Gryffindor common room ("_Hinkypunk_" mumbled James to a practically snoozing Fat Lady) that James stopped. He let go of Lily's hand and turned to face her, spearing his hand through his hair.

She was out of breath and panting through her rosy lips. James noticed that Lily's tumbling red hair was blown about and glittering brilliantly in the firelight. Her cheeks were delicately flushed and her wonderfully intense green eyes were glinting ferociously. A wave of pride and pleasure flowed through him and James grinned somewhat wolfishly.

"Some patrol, eh?" Lily went scarlet.

"James, I…ahem…I…"

"Lily, will you go to Hogsmeade with me?" asked James swiftly. He was pleasantly rewarded with a fresh surge of color in her cheeks.

"How…how do you know when Hogsmeade is?" James grinned even wider.

"Let's just say my mates and I found out early. They'll be posted tomorrow anyway. Look, will you go? It's in almost a week."

"I…I…" Lily stammered, still not quite sure what just happened or what was happening now. James suddenly pulled her forward and kissed her once, hard, on the lips.

"Think about it," he murmured, backing towards his dormitory. "Goodnight Lily."

"Good…goodnight James," she managed, before he shut his door. Lily raised her hand to her mouth and her fingertips grazed her lips, which still tasted like James.

_I…I didn't. I just…oh dear Lord, what was that all about…_ Confused and elated, Lily fairly ran to her room, knowing she would not be sleeping well tonight.

**Fluffy shifty chapter. Hope I wrote good romance up there for those of you who were waiting for it. Thanks again for all encouragement**


	13. Success

Lily hardly slept a wink all night. She kept running that memory over and over in her head. There was no way out of admitting that she really did like him _like that_. Now if only she could fix her friends to not make too much fun of this entire thing, that would be good. Lily moaned and stuffed a pillow over her head, trying half-heartedly to stop thinking about James Potter. Part of her still wanted to, and she returned to that kiss over and over again. Everything about it felt right and as Lily realized that she felt her eyelids droop. A nagging little voice rang out just before she drifted off: _This better not lead to someone getting hurt…_

James, meanwhile, had gone almost straight to bed with a smile. The rest of the Marauders were gearing up for the full moon, which would be coming round in a few days. "Gearing up" meant sleeping, and James climbed into his covers to the sounds of Sirius and Peter snoring loudly. James couldn't stop grinning, feeling that everything was perfect. _Tomorrow she'll say yes, and that'll be that…that'll be us…_

Lily woke up with a groan, bleary-eyed and tired. Emmeline and Dorcas were gone while the sounds of Marlene's bathwater drizzled into the room. Lily stood up and yawned widely. She shuffled over to her trunk and rummaged around for her day's books. Lily was filling her schoolbag when Marlene waltzed into the bedroom, wearing a towel and smelling like daisies.

"Morning Lily. S'all yours," she remarked with a wave of her hand. Lily rubbed her eyes fiercely with her fists. She was just grabbing her shampoo when she sniffed the air.

"Marlene, are you wearing _scent_?" Marlene turned white, pink, red, and purple as she ducked down to gather up her robes.

"It's just lotion that I got as a gift. Why, d'you think it's bad?"

"It smells lovely but why? Want to make a…good impression on someone?" Marlene's curly head snapped up with nervous eyes.

"I…just felt like it this morning, that's all. And you'd better go fast in there or we'll be late for breakfast." Lily sighed; Marlene was still hiding something.

Fifteen minutes later, both girls entered the common room. There were a few people mulling around inside—no sign of their friends or the Marauders—and most of them were crowded around a bulletin board. They went over.

"Hogsmeade in a week!" cried Marlene delightedly. "Hoping James will ask you Lily?"

"C'mon," Lily muttered, rubbing her head. "I just want to eat this morning…"

At breakfast, James strode in with Sirius on his right and Remus on his left, smiling broadly as he explained everything to Peter. Sirius could hardly believe that James had scored, and on patrol of all places.

"You and Evans are an item now, Prongs?" asked Sirius for a third time.

"I _told_ you Padfoot, we just snogged, that's all. I'm planning on making her go with me to Hogsmeade, and _then_ we'll be an item."

"Nice luck, James," said Remus, scanning the Dining Hall. "No sign of them."

"Must still be dreaming of Prongs—" James punched Sirius in the arm for this comment, although he was unable to contain his grin.

"So how're you gonna ask her, James?" asked Peter as the boys took their seats. James shrugged.

"As it comes to me. Haven't thought about that bit much yet…" Sirius gestured with his fork, mouthful of eggs.

"Well," he swallowed, to disgusted looks from Remus and James, "you'd better start, because here she comes."

Lily and Marlene were hurrying into the Great Hall and joined Dorcas, who was reading a letter. James noticed that Lily acted frazzled and slightly disoriented. She was still beautiful, with all of that soft, freefalling hair and those plump lips that had felt so good—

Sirius kicked him, having the indecency to look pleased as James was irritably broken out of his thoughts. Remus was looking over at Lily's group too and hadn't seemed to have noticed. Peter was gazing from James to Lily and back.

"Padfoot, could you be _more_ of a git?"

Sirius smiled smugly.

"Yes. And no one is going Evans chasing until they've had their breakfast. You've got all day to stalk her, while we've got to scheme for Moony's favorite day—" Sirius earned himself a glare from Remus, which he ignored. James sighed and tore his eyes away from Lily, who was listening as a chuckling Dorcas gestured to the Ravenclaw table and the empty seat of Caradoc Dearborn.

"Eating or Lily, it's a hard choice, Lily or food…"

"Here, I'll make it for you." Sirius dumped a pile of sausages on James' plate, snatching the food from the grasp of a second year. "We've got first class with them anyway, Transfiguration with McGonagall."

"Transfiguration, eh?" asked James suddenly with a glint in his eye. "That's given me a plan…"

"Eat," suggested Remus. "We've got to be off soon." Just then, Lily, Marlene, and Dorcas stood up. James shot up immediately, followed by Remus and then Peter. Sirius sighed and stood up laconically.

"Let's just get this over with…"

But James didn't hear his best friend as he hurried after Lily, skidding into the hallway and Severus Snape before continued after the bobbing head of red hair. Snape's book went flying and he scowled. Sirius sneered and Remus tried to look apologetic as they ran after James. Peter, panting behind, didn't know what was going on at all.

"Lily!" James waved, catching up with her finally. Dorcas and Marlene turned to look at him, Dorcas highly amused and Marlene giggling.

Lily froze, stricken with terror. All of the doubts she had assuaged last night roared to life and she instantly became so nervous that she nearly dropped her bag _I have to get over this. He doesn't hate me and nothing will go wrong. Right. Got it_.

"Yes, James?" she replied. Lily started walking as Sirius and Remus showed up next to James, Peter Pettigrew lagging paces after. James fell beside her in an easy stride.

"I was wondering if my new _friend_ wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me. It's official this morning and everything," he said with a wink.

"I, er—"

"Come on, Evans," said Sirius. "He's not that bad and we'll be at this all day if you don't."

"'Not that bad?' Hogsmeade? Have a thing for your best mate, Black?" teased Dorcas good-naturedly. Lily knew she was trying to ease the tension and silently wished Dorcas a happy life with many children. Sirius peered down his nose.

"Dorcas, the last time I checked I was going out with…er…someone, but that someone was definitely a girl." Dorcas shrugged.

"Just saying. And perhaps you'd remember her name better if you weren't such a dandy—" Sirius pinched her lightly on the arm. Dorcas laughed.

"So?" asked James eagerly. "Look, I'll _prove _it to you that it's a good idea." James pulled out his wand and pointed it at Lily's bracelet. Lily found herself holding a hound puppy that squeaked, "Please go to Hogsmeade with me." Sirius laughed as Lily dumped the pooch into Marlene's arms and ran. All around her objects began changing into wide-eyed puppies—shoulder bags and quills and spare bits of litter—that whined things like "Say yes!" and "Pleeeease?" Laughing, Lily dove into the Transfiguration room just as a small army of terriers, hounds, dalmations, spaniels, and nifflers caught up with her, barking and begging. Professor McGonagall eyed the intrusion.

"Miss Evans, what—" James Potter entered, holding another cocker spaniel puppy that peeped, "Pleasey, pleasey?" The other Gryffindors came in behind him, laughing their heads off.

"Ah, I see. Potter. Although that is a nice bit of Transfiguration, would you mind removing Miss Evans' new suitors from my classroom? We, I am afraid, have things to do that do not involve a visit to Hogsmeade." James zapped his last dog (a frilly poodle) as a voice cried from outside,

"Oy! Prang, where'd your shoe go?"

"It…it ran off mate!" The entire Transfiguration class tittered. Professor McGonagall sighed and turned to James.

"Potter, did you just turn that first year's shoe into a poodle?" James gave McGonagall what he obviously thought was a winning smile.

"Only because I wanted to ask you to Hogsmeade, Professor." Several members of the class snorted loudly. "I mean Lily's real great and all, but—"

"Enough of your nonsense, Potter," she snapped wearily, although she didn't seem particularly mad. "Fix this lot and leave them outside the classroom, and I hope I won't you be doing mischief like this in the future, though I know that ship's already sailed…"

"No, Professor, of course not." James waved his wand and the puppies changed back into school supplies and one brown shoe. McGonagall rolled her eyes and tossed the footwear out the door as the last students entered the class. Marlene handed Lily her bracelet and took a place next to Dorcas. Emmeline and Caradoc were standing on the other side of the room (Emmeline grinning cheekily at Lily) and Sirius and Remus were standing together. Pettigrew was partnering with a Slytherin, a mousy boy by the name of Wilkes. Lily heaved a sigh and set her stuff down next to James, an action she knew he had planned.

"So, is that a yes?" he whispered as she sat down. Lily's heart hammered and she gazed up at him.

"That's a yes, Potter," agreed Lily quietly. James' face broke into jubilation and he punched the air.

"_Yes!_"

"Potter," barked McGonagall. "I am glad to see that you have managed to brainwash Miss Evans, but the rest of us aren't so charmed. I notice your book isn't open to the proper chapter."

James cracked open his book, his face still glowing, and Lily immediately felt rather happy too. Just as McGonagall began the lesson, he leaned over and said in her ear,

"You won't regret it, Lily. Not one jot." Lily's face flushed and she smiled back tentatively while the class began their note-taking.

**Another fluffish chapter. Dunno I'll be able to keep it up; the next chapter deals will Remus and pre-Hogsmeade. I'm sorry if the whole "puppy incident" was out-of-line with the story, but I just had that image in my head and couldn't get rid of it! Thanks for your encouragements.**


	14. Among Friends

After Transfiguration, there was intensive double Herbology lesson culminating in three scratches by a Fanged Geranium and some seriously-harassed Lily and Marlene, who had tied their hair out of their sweaty faces as they struggled over their Screechsnap seedlings with Hufflepuff Miriam Strout and Ravenclaw Benjy Fenwick.

"Come now, just wrestle them out of their pots!" called out Professor Sprout, taking on three tubs at a time by herself.

"Easy for her to say, teaching for how many years?" mumbled Benjy bad-temperedly, snatching a writhing seedlings. "Wiley little blighters…"

Miriam giggled appreciatively, but was quickly silenced as her seedling shot from the pot and onto the table, where she scrambled around for it. The kindly brunette looked to be on the verge of hysterics.

"The fifth time! The fifth time, these stupid things! I can't _do_ this class!" she wailed, furiously stuffing the seedling into a new pot and going for another. "If I didn't want to be a Healer so badly…"

"Hah, that's nothing. Lily _likes_ this stuff!" squealed Marlene as she cast about for a noisy seedling. Lily gave her an agitated look.

"Oh, yes, I'm having _loads_ of fun now!" Lily's face was pink and shiny, and her smattering of freckles were out in full force. Pulling her thick hair into a ponytail was not very effective in keeping cool as she emerged from the bin with double-fisted palmfuls of Screechsnaps.

This time, it was Benjy Fenwick who laughed, and then he broke into enthusiastic applause with everyone else as Professor Sprout called the lesson to a close.

"Wash up you lot, and no homework, I think we've done enough here…"

Lily's table of four went over to the sinks.

"So Lily, is it true you're finally going out with Potter?" asked Benjy casually. Lily shot him a look to see a faint smile on his angular face.

"And how would you know anything about that?" she asked huffily. Benjy shrugged.

"Oh, you know. My mate knows your mate, and when they're not occupying the school's broomclosets they sometimes talk…" Lily nodded.

"Ah, Caradoc. I had forgotten about that. In any case, the answer is yes. I'm going to Hogsmeade with him."

Benjy grinned. "About time."

Benjy Fenwick was a short, neatly-muscled boy with a sharp face but very sincere brown eyes. His hair was brown and some people said that if it weren't for their heights, he and Caradoc Dearborn would look like brothers. Both of them were on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team and both were quite talented. Benjy was also good guy, albeit being extremely anti-Slytherin.

Lily shoved him playfully as she rinsed her hands. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked. Benjy shrugged.

"Just saying. See you at lunch." He grabbed his bag and set off for the Great Hall. Marlene said goodbye to Miriam and came over to Lily, grinning.

"What was that all about?"

"Nothing, although apparently Emmeline has told the entire school that I said I'd go to Hogsmeade with James." Marlene laughed.

"Ah, yes, she can do that. Lunch, Lily?"

"Yeah," replied Lily, taking one last rueful look in the mirror. "Although I'm a mess."

"Stop grousing or we'll miss the pudding." Lily smiled and the girls began their walk from the greenhouse as the bells rang.

"Now," said Marlene, "you'd better tell me what happened to make you say yes to James." Lily hesitated but launched right into a tale of the previous night nevertheless. Marlene's eyes widened and she made the correct noises in the correct places.

"And you still don't know about the Slytherins?"

"No," answered Lily as they reached the castle, "but James reckons we'd better take patrols more seriously. Although since there was that attack on that Hufflepuff boy's cousins, maybe they were out celebrating—"

"Lily, you're beginning to sound like Dorcas," interrupted Marlene when they entered the Dining Hall. Lily smiled and nodded towards Dorcas, who was busily scanning a certain piece of parchment for the fifth time since that morning.

"Is that really so bad, Marley?" asked Lily jokingly. They sat down. Immediately, Emmeline and James came over from two different sides of the room and sat, followed by Sirius, Remus, and Peter. James took a seat on the other side of Lily and flung his arm over her shoulders.

"Hello Lily. Emmeline, Marlene, Dorcas. Fancy walking me to Charms so I'm not ambushed by Snivellus?" Emmeline and Dorcas snorted. Lily smiled but rolled her eyes.

"What terrible thing did you do this time, James?" asked Lily with a grin, but some trepidation.

Sirius answered for him.

"He said some rude things about Snape being a few twigs short of a Comet when it came to… er, certain subjects. Naturally, a few words were exchanged. Magic words. But we're all fine, thank you for asking."

"James, did he really deserve whatever you said?" sighed Lily. James looked petulantly at her.

"Lily, of course. When would _I_ ever take the initiative to insult Snivelly? Besides, it was mostly Rosier who started it, impotent twonk that he is…" The girls laughed.

"So how's about it, Lily? Will you and your friends walk us to Charms? Or d'you need me to beg?" Lily grinned submissively.

"Sure we will, James. Although I'm not promising to hex Snape for you…"

"Excellent!" declared James releasing Lily to dig into his sausages. "See, Padfoot, we've got nothing to fear now."

"Besides fearing that you'll go off your head? Nothing, nothing at all," replied Sirius wryly. The eight Gryffindors laughed and ate together. Lily was surprised how pleasant all of them could be, and especially took notice of Marlene's rather giggly behavior. Emmeline excused herself hurriedly as Caradoc strode towards the table.

"See you at Charms!" she waved, before Caradoc pulled her into his arms and they trotted off. Dorcas folded up Fabian's letter and stuffed it into her purse.

"Well, it's been a lovely meal with you four, but I think we ought to scampering too. See you at dinner?" said Dorcas. Sirius winked.

"I'll see you at dinner, Dorcas. In fact, I'll—"

"Oh damn, I forgot!" cried Lily. "Slughorn wants a dinner tonight. I think he wanted to talk to me about something too, oh no, I've got that Charms essay…"

"Bring a guest?" suggested Remus.

"Hmm…why yes, I think I will. I think I'll bring seven guests," mused Lily. Marlene gaped.

"Will Slughorn go for that, Lily?"

Lily replied dismissively, "Who cares? If he wants me then he'll deal with you like I do. Besides he'd probably like this bunch. Purebloods and prefects and Quidditch players, he'll wet himself from excitement." Sirius laughed.

"Brilliant. Free meal off the Potions teachers. We're mingling with the elite now."

"Don't forget that's eight guests, since Emmeline will want to bring Dearborn," reminded Dorcas. Lily smiled.

"If she must. I only suppose Slughorn won't mind…"

**I'm glad no one minded the puppy part; this one here is just a short "friendly" chapter to introduce Lily and James' new relationship and another member of the Order of the Phoenix. This chapter is totally finished and has been revamped. Thanks to the reviewers for everything, and feel free with suggestions and criticisms alike. **


	15. Slugs at Dusk

That night, Lily brought all of them to the Slug Club. As she had predicted, Professor Slughorn was profusely excited to see everyone.

"Lily, Lily, so lovely tonight…bringing the new beau, eh?" he said with a wink at James. James just gave him a lopsided grin and swung his arm around Lily, which warmed her right to her toes.

"Of course…Mr. James Potter…Gryffindor Quidditch Captain this year? _Several_ N.E.W.T. classes, excellent. We have Mr. Black, the only one of your kin to have escaped my house, eh?" Slughorn chuckled. S

Sirius gave him an amused look.

"I'm the only one of the Blacks to escape, or the only one of the pureblood twots to escape, _Sir_?"

Lily noticed that Sirius and James shared a very similar devil-may-care attitude when it came to teachers. Slughorn, luckily, only laughed all the more.

"Language, language, Sirius. Your cousin Andromeda acted like that too, but she was rightly placed in Slytherin. I didn't expect you to be wanting to transfer in either, if it come to that. You are of an opinion that sounds very much like Lily's distressing attitude towards my house. " Sirius just gave him a flippant smile and helped himself to some punch. Slughorn turned to Remus.

"Remus Lupin, hmm…you're in my Potions class. Also in several N.E.W.T. classes, and a prefect to boot. Before he took his brief sabbatical this year, Professor Kettleburn said you were excellent in Care of Magical Creatures. Well done. By the way, have you heard anything from him after that nasty incident with his left foot?"

Remus shook his head because everyone knew that Professor Kettleburn was likely to be off nursing his wounds in the Leaky Cauldron. Slughorn chuckled.

"Can't be helped, I suppose. Nice to see you, lad. Miss McKinnon, another old hand at Potions, and it is lovely to see you. Miss Dorcas Meadows…I've heard an awful lot about your Defense Against the Dark Arts skills from Professor Marsh…she says she can retire in peace after having such a batch of students this year."

After distributing such necessary compliments, Slughorn turned to the student about whom he had heard very of from any teacher.

"And ah, Mister….?"

"Peter Pettigrew, Sir," squeaked Peter, apparently just excited to be at the Slug Club. Professor Slughorn looked a trifle confused for a moment and then smoothed it over with a wide grin.

"Well, nice to meet you, boy. Help yourself to some crisps. Perhaps you'll know the others here?"

Lily looked around. Caradoc and Emmeline were already there, along with the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team (Lily later discovered that both Caradoc and Emmeline had been invited on their own). Lily waved to Benjy Fenwick, who smiled back. He was with Mafalda Hopkirk, a very pretty Ravenclaw sixth-year who was a shoe-in for the Ministry of Magic. There were several other faces that were not instantly recognizable, but Lily wasn't paying attention as James' breath tickled her ear.

"Want me to nick some pineapple for you?" Lily laughed and pushed James' face away with her palm, feeling his lips grinning against her hand. She could also feel Emmeline's smug smile from across the room, but she didn't care. Nothing was bringing Lily off her good mood now.

Dinner went off without a hitch. Slughorn loved Lily's guests and vowed to send them Slug Club invitations for themselves (Peter Pettigrew blushed over this, although he was alone in the excitement). Emmeline left dinner early, citing "prefect duties" although Caradoc went with her. Several people snickered at this even though Slughorn himself didn't notice.

The evening was actually very nice and for the first time in recent years, Lily found herself not wanting to leave. Slughorn seemed particularly interested in James, who had made it to Head Boy without once being a prefect. Eventually only Lily and James were left, chatting personably with Slughorn (Sirius had been next-to-last to leave, giving James a meaningful wink before excusing himself.). They finally excused themselves at five-past nine. Slughorn jumped up to shake James' hand.

"It was lovely to entertain you, James. Lily, feel free to bring this boy anytime you'd like! In fact, I'd be disappointed to not see him next time."

"Me too," mumbled Lily shyly, putting her hand on James' arm. James gave her an appreciative smile.

"Nice to see you kids. You have such bright futures ahead! Goodnight, goodnight," waved Slughorn as Lily and James exited his office. James was still smiling to himself.

"So, Lily, about patrolling last night…I'm interested in a repeat performance, say, you and me—"

Lily elbowed him.

"That's just like you, James, one kiss and you think you own me. Why is everybody so interested in you and me snogging?" Lily groused, even as she internally warned herself that she was warming to the idea as well.

"Everybody?" James asked incredulously with raised eyebrows. "I didn't know so many people had such time on their hands…I, naturally, have a personal interest, but—"

Lily cut him off once more as they climbed the last flight of stairs to the common room.

"Listen, James, I like you. I have to admit it now, 'I-told-you-so' and all. But we haven't even _dated_ yet, so what exactly are you expecting? _Hinkypunk_."

"A pash every night or so?" James suggested, winking at the Fat Lady as they climbed through the portrait hole. "Wait a minute, did you just say that you like—"

"I'll think about it," she interrupted loftily. Lily still wasn't quite ready to discuss her feelings about James Potter with, well…James Potter.

"What's to think about, Lily?" asked James earnestly, his smile renewed several times over. Lily noticed that she and James were attracting fascinated looks as they crossed the common room together. "Or will I need to seduce you again—" A mortified Lily clapped her hand over his mouth just as Marlene jumped out of an armchair and hurried over, a chuckling Emmeline in tow.

"Oh, Lily! You don't know what just happened! Well it really happened about an hour ago, but—wait a tick, where were you two?"

Lily said "Slughorn's" just as Emmeline announced "Astronomy Tower." Lily scowled at her friend as James laughed.

"If only, Vance, if only. I like the way you think…"

Lily rolled her eyes.

"Shut it, James. Now, Marlene, what is it?"

Marlene wrung her hands.

"I…er…" They were cut off as Sirius, Remus, and Peter sauntered over; Remus holding a bit of parchment. Marlene went red.

"Oh, it's…nothing. I'll tell you—"

"Tell who what?" inquired Sirius lazily, flipping his hair back. Marlene's cheeks looked almost purple. Remus handed the parchment to James.

"This is yours, Prongs, I found it like…"

James nodded. Marlene blustered on.

"Er…Lily…me…I was going to tell Lily something about Hogsmeade—"

"Yes, Marlene?" said Lily kindly. Marlene struggled with her words.

"I was…erm, sort of ambushed…on the way back from Slughorn's…outside…Travers just sort of swooped out of the shadows and asked me to Hogsmeade!" she blurted, determinedly facing only Lily.

"I nearly screamed at first and then I told him no and he asked why and I said because I was going with someone else—"

"—and now Marley's in a flap because that's not true," finished Emmeline, who apparently found this to be funny. "I offered her to go along with Caradoc and me, somehow she declined…"

"What about Dorcas?" Lily proposed.

"Dorcas is meeting Prewett there," yawned Emmeline. "He's taking a day off…"

"Dorcas is dating who?" asked a surprised James.

"Fabian Prewett," supplied Lily. "Now then—"

"You girls certainly get around," muttered James, moving possessively closer to Lily.

"I have an idea," said Sirius loudly, taking charge of several conversations at once. "Since Marlene needs someone to go with to weasel out of a Slytherin's greasy clutches, I suggest us."

"Us who?" asked Remus a bit shrilly. Sirius gestured to include himself, Remus, and Peter.

"She'd be a nice replacement Prongs, as I assume he'll be up to…er, other things. What say, Marlene? You'll trust us to fight for your honor against those reptilian ba—"

"That sounds lovely," confirmed Emmeline. Marlene blanched, looking both flattered and awkward.

"Brilliant, then it's settled," James proclaimed with finality. He looked as though he had an agenda to accomplish; his eyes darted to Lily and then the entrance to the common room. Lily suddenly realized exactly what he was probably thinking…_and why not? Don't pretend you didn't like—_

"Lily and I must be off now, things to discuss you know." He took Lily by the arm and tugged her towards the portrait hole. Sirius laughed. Lily protested, trying to smother the warmth rising in her chest.

"James, I—"

James pushed her gently through the opening. Lily stumbled and turned around, hands on her hips.

"_What_ was that all about? I ought to—" James covered her lips with his. Lily found herself melting into him without hesitation. _Caution to the wind Lily, this is what you wanted…_ She kissed him hungrily back and a few moments later they broke apart to a loud "Ahem!" from the Fat Lady.

"Pardon," said James, taking Lily down the hall. Lily absently unwrapped a small candy from her pocket and popped it into her mouth, allowing James to steer her as he would.

"Sherbet lemon?' she offered. _What was that all about? Hmm…no time to be shy though, I'd say it went fairly well…He really is quite—_

James stopped walking. He stared at her and laughed aloud at the candy in her hand.

"What?" demanded Lily defensively. "Just thought you may want a candy, Potter. No personal offense—"

"You!" said James, managing to look bewildered and delighted and charming all at once. _I didn't really just think that, did I? Oh yes, well, I suppose I did…it's fine now though, we are together…_

He was actually pointing his finger at her and shaking his head. Lily didn't see what was so odd.

"What about me?"

"You know Lily, I can't understand you. I just can't. I've been asking you out since fourth year, and only now you come round! And in a few days too! After hating me for all that time?"

"I didn't hate you during all of—" James however, was on a roll and could not be stopped. He didn't seem angry though, which Lily thought was a good sign.

"And now that we've snogged, you still go about just like ordinary except you're nicer to me, and how can you expect me to—"

"Shh," whispered Lily dreamily, placing her finger on his lips. "It's enough to know I like you, okay? Isn't it? Everything's a bit complex right now, so—"

"A_ha_!" cried James, in accusatory triumph. Lily almost laughed at James' slightly maniacal expression. "So you do like—"

"_Yes_," Lily affirmed. "I've given in. I do like you, and I am happy to go to Hogsmeade with you. Sometimes you just get me wound up, but I'm trying to get a hold on that. And now we're early for patrols and are you going to kiss me or not?"

James stared back at her stupidly, trying to work out if this was a trick or not. Lily harrumphed.

"Come on Potter, I know you can—very well, I'll do it." Lily moved in very close to James and did something she had been thinking about all summer. She took his face in her hands and kissed him fiercely, her sherbet lemon nearly sliding out of her mouth and then making move to choke her. James, to his credit, was not long on the uptake and had his arms around her fairly soon. Lily smiled into his mouth before nipping lightly at his lips. James chuckled and held her back at arms' length just to get a look at her.

Lily was beaming right up at him with those beautiful, beautiful eyes. James could still taste that explosion of citrus. So she liked him, finally. That was good. She was also enthusiastic about their physical relationship, another plus. Even though James could hardly understand what had brought about Lily's change of attitude, he decided to leave that for later.

"You're a nutter, you know that kiddo?"

Lily bit her lip expectantly, making James wince as his temperature rose.

"James, are you saying it's time for patrolling?"

James smiled.

"No, that's not what I'm saying. I—"

"Well, I'm saying it is!" announced Lily loudly, anchoring herself to James side with her arm around his waist. "Let's start now. We'll get done faster."

Lily found herself to be in a decisively chipper mood. If she was not careful, she might actually aggravate herself. Lily could certainly get used to this situation with James, if she didn't berate herself later for being forward…but who could ever say _she_'d been forward when it came to James Potter—

"You're a good snog, Lily," commented James evenly. Lily chuckled and nudged him playfully. _She's not annoyed at me, she _enjoyed_ kissing me, is this—_

"Why thank you, Potter. You're not so bad either."

"Obviously," mumbled James almost to himself. Lily was delightfully amused at the fact that she and James had practically reached a relationship agreement, _stability, like…_

"Lily, what are sherbet lemons?" he asked out of the blue.

"They're a Muggle candy. I'm positively mad for them. I bring a bunch with me every term," she admitted.

"I'm starting to like them too," said James with a slanting look at Lily. He leaned over openmouthed. Lily let him kiss her softly until he gently began to probe her mouth.

"Patrols, James," she pointed out. James groaned.

"But Lily…"

Lily raised her eyebrows and James inwardly swore. _She's just stringing me along then, isn't she? Two can play there…_

"Fine, in that case, hang on a minute." Lily watched him curiously as James pulled something out of his pocket and consulted it. A wide grin split his face.

"C'mon, we need to get to the Charms corridor." James hurried along.

"James, what are you—"

"You say you want to patrol, eh? Well here's our chance, we can take points and everything."

Lily followed as James led her through two tapestries and Nearly Headless Nick before coming to a halt.

"Quiet," he whispered, inching forward. "Just follow my lead…" Lily listened wordlessly for a moment and heard voices, more than one. James straightened up, looking a touch like the arrogant James of old, and strode around the corner.

**I wasn't really too fond of this chapter and I kind of feel like I muddled around here but if you agree then rest assured that things will get better, points and werewolves and Hogsmeade and all. This was a weird type of chapter I just couldn't avoid…definitely not my favorite. Now for some shtuff…**

**I always found that Lily just seems to be surrounded by random girls that pair off with the Marauders and that I skip over most of her friends' lines, so I tried to make Marlene and the rest more likeable.**

**I didn't invent any of these characters because every name or description of unknown person (e.g. blond Slytherin prefect) is from the books. As far as Dorcas, Emmeline, and Marlene go, I felt kind of bad about doing a traditional "Lily-and-her-three-friends" thing but I liked having all of them together. I saw Lily as a popular girl who nonetheless doesn't have many close pals. Even Marlene, her best friend, is kind of in the dark sometimes. I wanted to make it so that Lily is closer with Marlene than Dorcas and Emmeline so it doesn't seem like I'm setting up the dream team with James' friends. **

**(Mirax Myra Terrik. donkeykong27)**

**THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO READS AND REVIEWS**


	16. Slithering Trouble

"…attacks are picking up; he'd be right to do it soon—"

"Good Evening, Snivellus. Rosier. Travers," James pronounced imperiously. Lily saw three Slytherin boys sitting the hallway, evidently discussing something secretive. They were huddled together; it looked as though Rosier and Snape were having an argument. At the arrival of James and Lily, Rosier and Snape leapt to their feet. Lily caught sight of the pale, unaffected Travers sitting back against the wall, watching them with his ponderous fair eyes…

"Potter," hissed Snape, immediately drawing his wand. James disarmed him nonverbally, casually watching the wooden instrument fly across the hallway. Snape let out a noise of anger and Rosier raised his own wand. Lily quickly lifted her own.

"Doing something, Evan?" she asked narrowly. Rosier stopped, an ugly articulation wrinkling his lips. Lily frowned. _How could James have possibly known about them being here…?_

Evan Rosier was a tall boy with thick dark hair and eyes, and extremely pallid skin. He was practically handsome yet rather cruel-looking. His sharp nostrils flared when he sneered down at Lily in a way that wasn't completely of dislike. James seemed to notice this and Lily felt him tense up beside her. His voice strained as he said,

"A lovely little jaunt after dark? We won't hex you this time, but I think that'll be about ten points each from Slytherin. Or maybe twenty…Yes, that's quite in order…at least."

Snape was almost spitting with fury but stood still, knowing he was in no position to fight. Travers remained seated, gazing unblinkingly at the Head Boy and Girl from under his skeletal eyebrows. Lily felt prickles reaching down her arms, the thought of having _that_ look turned on you for an hour… between him and Rosier she felt unclean…

"You're wasting your time," spurted Snape with a gleam in his eye. "You think you're so important, docking points like—"

"And getting ready to hand out detentions, Snape," cut in James with a clipped voice. "So _move along_. And, Rosier, what the hell d'you think _you're_ doing?"

Rosier slowly turned away from Lily, a conquering leer fading into a look of contempt that he cast upon James.

"Just ogling your Mudblood girlfriend, Potter. I—" _BAM_. James had flung himself at Rosier and the two went tumbling headfirst into the wall. Lily cried out and Snape lunged for his wand.

"_Stupefy!_" shouted Lily reflexively, aiming a red beam of light that caught Snape on the chest. He staggered and fell over while Travers wrestled into the heap that was James and Rosier. Rosier appeared to have the upper hand now; he was uppermost in the fight with his knee in James' chest, but James kicked out savagely and they went down once more. Furious, Lily ran right over the prone Severus and grabbed Rosier by the shoulders, wrenching him upwards with all her might. Travers leapt out on her left side from nowhere; Lily disarmed him and he went spinning into the wall. Lily tried to wedge herself between the warring boys.

"No James, _James_ stop it! Stop—Rosier, _no_! No!"

Eventually they broke apart, breathing heavily. Lily automatically moved towards James, whose lip was cut and bloodied. Rosier glared hatefully and a yellowish-purple mark was forming on his high cheekbones. His white face blotched with anger and his breath came in icy sheets. He looked as though he would attack again at any moment until he saw the wands of both Lily and James pointing at his heart.

"Fine, Potter, we're off," he snarled furiously, picking up his own wand and Travers' from the floor. A low groan from somewhere in the dim meant that Snape was awakening. "But if you think you've got something on us, you're wrong. We're in on things you couldn't even _dream_ up, you pathetic—"

"Enough."

Travers laid a claw-like hand on Rosier's shoulder. His face was impassive but his wide eyes bulged ominously. A red welt cruised under his ear.

"We're going now. Get Severus." With barely another glance, the shorter boy turned around and slowly waltzed to the stairs. Rosier speared James with one last look of hatred and turned on his heels, his robes smacking Snape in the face as he pulled himself to his feet. After a few tense moments, they were gone.

Lily whirled around to face James, who was staring the direction they had gone departed to with a very dangerous look.

"_What _on earth was that James? Are you alright? They could have done _anything_ you know, anything at all! Dangerous! And how did you know they were—"

"You can't let them get away with things like that, Lily," James replied heatedly, pushing his hand through his hair in nervous habit. "I tried, you know, to be considerate of the rules and of you and of that prefect shit, but with—"

"He had _wand_, James and two friends!" cried Lily. "You can't just start rows in—"

"_He_ started it, Lily, when he called you—"

"A Mudblood?"

James stopped and stared. He seemed to be trying to control his temper.

"Yes, that. A very offensive—"

"James, it doesn't matter! It doesn't matter to _me_! I know it's supposed to be vile and evil and offensive, but it's just a word, James! And not even a magic word! Please don't tackle everyone who says those things. You never know what they might be getting at and some…some _people_ might be up to things…"

James paused in his fuming and looked down at Lily. She was biting her lip now, still white as a ghost but with the blood returning to her cheeks. He noticed the hand that held her wand trembled. Her green gaze was nonetheless ferocious and demanding and she stared him right in the eye, defiant for him to say anything else. A softening melt reached James' heart and his anger ebbed away.

"Scared for me, Lily?" he asked quietly, with a small smile which only increased as red rose in her face.

"Just of your manners, James," she replied tartly, pocketing her wand. She seemed to be recovering from the shock of the attack.

"And now do you understand how good it feels to stupefy Snivellus when he's creeping around like a rat?" James was fully aware that this would probably push her patience, which it did.

"It was a mistake!" Lily burst out, eyes flashing. "I just reacted to—"

"Saving me," he interrupted, smiling broadly now. James cupped her cheek and kissed her once, his throbbing lips meeting hers tenderly.

"You're all bloodied," Lily mumbled, reaching up to wipe James' blood off his face. James laughed.

"You are too." She shot him a venomous look and swiped her face with her sleeve.

"Let's just finish this patrol…"

"Oh I have a feeling it's over now," he said airily, mentally resolving to check the Map as soon as Lily went to bed. Lily scowled but relented as they began their journey to the Gryffindor common room, avoiding a skulking Mrs. Norris who was creeping around an empty classroom.

They talked idly, about this and that, not quite ready to address what had just happened. Lily privately thought that telling tales on the Slytherins would do no good and so she didn't suggest further punishment aloud. James said nothing as well. They parted with a kiss at the foot of the stairs.

Lily slid between her covers that night dead tired. She dozed just as a small thought entered her head. _How did James know…_ Then she slept.

**I liked that chapter much better; gives a good idea of what the early Death Eaters were like I hope…**

**MINOR SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN'T READ BOOK SIX**

**Marlene, Dorcas, and Emmeline are only named briefly mentioned in the books, although Emmeline had a speaking part. Marlene McKinnon's entire family and herself were killed by Death Eaters (including Travers). Dorcas Meadowes was killed personally by Voldemort. Emmeline Vance survived the downfall and was part of the advance guard that flew with Harry to Grimmauld Place, but was "murdered nastily" in the sixth book. That's really all I know about any of them, so…er…yes )**

**(donkeykong27)**

**And once more, the usual stuff to the usual readers about reviewing and commenting and my gratefulness**


	17. Attack and Explanation

The following morning, Lily told Marlene everything about the patrolling last night (concerning the Slytherins, that is. Lily neglected to mention any of James' more…close-to-home comments). Marlene was shocked that they were actually attacked, but a more than a little relieved that she was right about Travers.

"And he really did do all that? So I was right, he's a complete nutter…"

"Yes, Marlene, he is and you'd do well enough to stay away from him. Good thing Sirius and his mates are taking you to Hogsmeade." Marlene seemed embarrassed as they entered the Dining Hall.

"And there they are," pointed Lily, looking shrewdly at Marlene to catch her reaction. Marlene cleared her throat.

"Remus seems ill today, doesn't he?" It was true. Remus was sitting across from James and he didn't seem to be eating much. His face was pale as porridge and looking a little gaunt.

"I—" Dorcas immediately shoved a newspaper under Lily's nose as she reached the table.

"Look at the front page!" she hissed. Lily heard Marlene comment "So Vance, you're sitting with us this morning?" Then she looked at the headline story, and Lily missed every word of Emmeline's answer.

_ATTACKS ON AURORS-IN-TRAINING: MINISTRY INVESTIGATES INFILTRATION OF ACADEMY_.

"Frank and Alice Longbottom?" cried Lily. "I remember Alice, Alice was Head Girl! We knew her before she was Alice Longbottom…"

"Let me see that," demanded Marlene. A white pallor spread up her face.

"But…but they were only two years up! They're not even out of training yet, this says they're in St. Mungo's now…"

Lily felt sick. She bit her lip. Frank and Alice had been a premier couple at Hogwarts a few years before, and Alice was Head Girl the first year that Lily was made a prefect. The article said that a mysterious package had been delivered to the care of the newlyweds; it had been a hexed music box and nearly killed them both before Frank managed to blast it. The article didn't say where they had been found but only that it was a very sensitive area of the facility.

Lily took a good look at her friends this morning. Emmeline sat straight as a poker, mechanically eating her sausages with a faraway look in her eyes. Dorcas looked extremely worn and she was fastening a fat, sealed letter to tawny owl's leg. Lily noticed that a new "To Dorcas Meadows" package was sitting in her lap.

"Wow…I never thought…" Marlene trailed off and fiddled with her eggs. The hall was not as quiet as it had been a few days before, on the first attack of the year, but the noise was different than usual; furtive, speculative, and shocked. The teachers were talking very closely amongst themselves. Lily saw that Joey Jenkins had not returned to the Ravenclaw table yet.

A warm touch was laid on the small of Lily's back and she looked up to see James and his friends, taking seats around the girls.

"Hey," said James kindly. He was smiling but his hair was messier than usual and his face was tired. Lily looked up at him with large eyes.

"Did you hear…?" James nodded.

"Yeah. Frank was on Quidditch, good man and a good Keeper…"

"So what have you ladies been up to?" said Sirius lightly. "Aside from eagerly awaiting my arrival…"

"Black, if personality came as food you'd be a starved man," retorted Emmeline dryly. Everyone laughed a little, trying to allay the stiffness of the latest attack.

"I see you and Lily going out will be quite a trip, Prongs, if we have to contend with wit like this every breakfast."

"Or you could sit elsewhere?" suggested Emmeline, but it was not meant seriously and everyone knew it.

"So you _are_ going out then?" interjected Marlene quickly.

"'Course we are, Hogsmeade and beyond," said James bracingly. Marlene raised her eyes to Lily, who merely gave a shrug.

"Then everything's official, which means I was right," added Emmeline smugly. "Like that was ever in question."

"I think your boyfriend's coming this way, better not let him see us flirting…" Emmeline rolled her eyes at Sirius as Caradoc Dearborn put his arms around her.

""Potter, Black, Lupin." He nodded in greeting. "Pettigrew." They nodded back.

"Can't boys ever just say hello, or are you all so manly all the time?" inquired Dorcas.

"Some of us are," replied Caradoc easily, ignoring Emmeline's elbowing him in the stomach. "C'mon Emmy, I've got to find Hooch before we go to Charms…"

"Fixing the Quidditch match early, Dearborn?" smiled James. Caradoc laughed off James' insinuation. Lily got the impression they bantered like this quite often.

"Don't need to, Potter, not if your team is as pathetic as last year."

"Last year I recall winning the Cup."

"Last year I recall that only reason you did that was because you played Slytherin in the finals and they were mostly riding school brooms. And I also recall that the only reason you weren't playing, or losing, to _us_ was because Fenwick and I were in the Hospital Wing during the deciding match—"

"—due to an unsightly accident involving yourselves, your wands, and a group of same Slytherins that we destroyed in the finals." Caradoc smiled reluctantly.

"You know how it is. We couldn't resist, though Flitwick was really displeased about the game. They're disgusting, just a bunch of dodgy—"

"How come everyone hates Slytherins so much?" asked Lily, even though she had a pretty good idea of the answer. Almost everyone except Peter Pettigrew turned to stare at her. Dorcas finally answered,

"Lily, the entire house should be chucked into Azkaban! Remember last June, when we found out that Avery's father had been passing off cursed artifacts as Muggle football cards? And last May, when—"

"Yes, I know I know, but they're not all Death Eaters or…or Death Eater affiliates, are they? There are some okay ones!"

"Like who?" snorted Sirius derisively.

"Agatha Timms, for one," replied Lily, referring to a short black girl with a beaky nose and green fingernails. "She always seemed decent to me—"

"Then she's the only one," interrupted Caradoc. "I've never met a Slytherin that I didn't think would stab me as soon as look at me, though I don't make a habit of mixing with scum."

"Don't you think everyone's just prejudiced because of the attacks? Not every Slytherin sold cursed cards or cultivates Devil's Snare or—"

"—murdered five Muggles in Bristol?" suggested James in a clipped voice. Lily felt small.

"I just don't see why you hex them all the time," she pleaded desperately. "They don't start—"

"What? Don't _start_? Don't start trouble?" barked Remus, who seemed roused for the first time all morning. "Lily, I can see where you wouldn't want to judge all of them, but come on. What about Tuesday, when Aubrey was nearly thrown through a wall because Rosier and his pals thought he was moving too slow?"

"Though that'd be no great loss," muttered Caradoc under his breath. James and Sirius smiled; they didn't much care for the ostentatious Hufflepuff boy either.

"And when Snape set James' book on fire? And when they hexed the first years? And—"

"Well, you and James always pick on him," said Lily heatedly. "And I still don't know why. You've done him worse plenty of times—"

"Lily, he's _evil_," said James exasperatedly. "He probably could recite the Killing Curse before he was out of nappies, and he certainly knew a lot about the Unforgivables first year. Tried to give us some nice pointers too, though that effort went unappreciated…"

Sirius barked a laugh and even Remus snorted. _There's definitely a story there,_ Lily thought

"He tried to use an Unforgivable Curse on you first year?" asked Marlene in a hushed voice of shock. Sirius sniffed.

"Stupid git wouldn't've managed it even if it did occur to him. He was too spineless, see, and anyway too inept. No, Snivelly was just trying to impress upon us his vast and dangerous knowledge of magic, which at the time was limited to the effects of a few hexes and a cleaning spell. From his current hygiene, we see he still hasn't mastered the latter, 'specially the bit with shampoo…" Everyone snorted this time, even Lily.

"And," continued Sirius, "about hexing the rest of the Slytherins, my family makes up most of them, which is as good a reason as any to eradicate the lot."

"You're related to Bellatrix, right Black?" asked Caradoc curiously.

"Cousin," he said shortly, and Caradoc knew not to mention anything more. After a few moments of discomfort, he finally said,

"Emmeline, really, I need the pitch…"

"Coming, coming," she replied, tossing her napkin aside and standing up. "Anyone want to come? Dorcas?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "Lily? Marlene?" They both shook their heads.

"Not done with my turnover," Marlene said.

"We'll entertain them, don't worry," said Sirius haughtily. H slid his arm around Lily, who giggled as James threw a muffin at his head.

"Funny Padfoot, really amusing…you could run the blimey circus with your sense of humor…" Caradoc and Emmeline laughed before departing with Dorcas. Sirius only smirked as James pulled Lily closer to himself, enveloping her against his chest with a smug smile. She settled down and rested her head against his shoulder, completely aware that several conversations around the Dining Hall had changed courses rather quickly.

"Feeling okay, Moony? Thinking of anything interesting?" asked Sirius loudly. Remus glared at Sirius and looked down into his plate. Lily looked quizzically up at James, who only laughed and kissed her lightly on the lips. Peter's eyes were bright and he looked like he was bursting to say something, but instead he simply buttered another roll and devoured it.

"They're having a little spat, Lily, don't mind them…"

"You know how moody our friend here can get," said Sirius while clapping a disgruntled Remus on the back. "Moody Moony, that's what we call him sometimes…"

"It's that furry little problem, you know," answered James with another chuckle. "Acts up something terrible."

"Yeah, about once a—" Lily, James, Marlene, and Peter all broke out in gales of laughter as Remus slammed an entire plate of eggs into Sirius' face.

**Woohoo, I was nearly stumped with this chapter…didn't know what to put but then it came. I decided to explain why most of the decent people in the school hate the Slytherins. This isn't to say that all of the Slytherins are evil and (as Lily pointed out) not all of them are connected to Death Eaters. Lily, btw, was playing devil's advocate mostly because she is around Dorcas and the Marauders a lot, and so she wants to find out why they dislike the Slytherins so much. As for _their_ opinions, they are mostly generalizations from the few that they know, but they are fairly accurate…the Marauders, in this case, marked Snape out for what he was early on, like Sirius mentioned in the books.**

**I just said all that so no one thought I was making Lily sympathetic with Slytherin. She just wants to find out her friends' personal reasons for hating them. And this chapter also marks the first of the three prophesied attacks on the Longbottoms, which I wanted to mention. And sorry for the slow updates over the past few days, I got my wisdom teeth out and have been kind of hokey from the anesthesia. And…er, that's it. **

**As for Lily's friends, I think I've said this before, but I really, really get peeved when there are just these random cardboard cut-outs pasted into the story solely to fornicate with Sirius Black and cuddle with Remus Lupin and ignore Peter Pettigrew so that Lily and James can be pushed together. I took pains to make sure that Lily's friend didn't just pair off with the Marauders and that they had personalities of their own. I appreciate it when people notice.**

**In the case of the Marauders, hey are basically a brilliant bunch (well, er, three of them) and James was described by Sirius as "hating the Dark Arts" so naturally they're suspicious of the Slytherins and are sometimes overzealous in stopping them. Sirius wants to get away from his family stigma and Remus isn't exactly empathetic after being a werewolf/decent person. They also don't seem like they'd sit by and let the Dark Lord screw up their fun. I think they'll try to keep people laughing. And finally, I think Lily will eventually find out about the Map and the cloak and everything. Just not so soon, because I realize that so far this is all taking place in early September, which I sometimes forget ;)**

**(Mirax Myra Terrik)**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and keep on reading!**


	18. Suspicion Clicked

That day floated by very well. Lily and James joked, jibed, and laughed their way through Charms, Transfiguration, and free before sitting together at lunch. The Gryffindor seventh years all laughed and talked animatedly. Emmeline was even especially nice to Peter Pettigrew, who Lily noticed always seemed to be a little behind the other boys. Emmeline obviously had realized this as well because she commented to Lily as they trudged down to Potions.

"Pettigrew is a bit off, isn't he?"

James and his friends lagged behind, doing something or another with a paper Lily presumed to be a homework roll. Dorcas nodded.

"He's just slower than they are. They don't leave him out intentionally and I don't think he feels a thing. I think he's just happy to walk down the halls with them."

"Black doesn't always go out of his way for him," pointed out Emmeline. "He's not always nice…"

"I'm sure Sirius just overlooks Peter sometimes. He's not rude on purpose," mused Marlene thoughtfully. Lily and the others exchanged looks which Marlene thankfully missed.

"Marlene, I've dated Sirius Black. Fifth year, remember? He's rude when he doesn't think you're worth his manners, which as they stand are not so valuable—" Here Dorcas elbowed Emmeline and she quickly shut up, but Marlene didn't appear to have registered this slander against her supposed crush.

"James takes time for Peter though," added Dorcas with a glance at Lily. "He makes an effort for him at least."

"Yes, he does, doesn't he? Him and Remus," said Lily fondly, flipping back her hair.

"They're all very nice," Marlene concluded just as they reached the Potions dungeon. Professor Slughorn sat at his desk going over papers and delicately popping crystallized pineapple into his mouth. Lily heard Sirius snicker faintly before he took a place next to Marlene. She assumed her own position next to James just as Caradoc dashed in, looking at little harried.

"Come now, take your places," announced Slughorn pompously while heaving his rotund, green-robed body out of his chair. "I'm handing back to the Amortentia review essays, full marks for Lily again I say, and Severus as well...not bad for you either Miss Meadowes here you are. Perhaps you'd like to give out the rest of these essays, Lily, and mind you don't peek. I've got important things to finish up at my desk…"

"Like his newest box of sweets," muttered James as Slughorn took his seat again behind his pewter cauldron. Lily took the rolls of parchment and nudged James in the foot before handing him his own essay. She went around the room with an increasing heartbeat as she approached the Slytherin table.

Snape and Rosier were deep in conversation as usual but Rosier caught Lily moving towards them and muttered something incomprehensibly to Snape. They were quiet and glowering by the time she placed their homework on the desk.

"Yours and yours, Rosier," she said coolly. Rosier's eyes narrowed even as his mouth curled into a displeasing smile.

"Read about your Auror friends this morning, Evans? Nasty bit of a shock for you then…" Lily bit her lip in fury. How dare he say something like that about the Longbottoms? Her fingers itched to wipe that smug look off of his sneering face but she contended with saying in a voice of ice,

"You pig. You wouldn't know anything about friends, would you, you disgusting slime?" With one last look of contempt and anger, Lily whipped around and strode back to her cauldron. James' arm encircled her almost immediately; he was casting black looks in the direction of Snape and Rosier.

"Did they say something?" asked James in a carefully neutral tone that wasn't fooling Lily for a moment.

"About the Longbottoms," she replied darkly, vicious slicing her rat tails. "That snake Rosier—"

"Again?"

"Yes," Lily answered. "He's dirt James. Don't go getting yourself expelled over him." James' arm only tightened once before he let go to chop his own rat tails at an alarming rate. Lily forced herself to take a cooling breath before she looked up again. Both Sirius and Dorcas were glaring at the Slytherins as well.

…

The rest of Lily's day was markedly better. After dinner, the seventh years sat around the Gryffindor common room together, doing homework (or goofing off) in companionable amicability. Lily and Emmeline chuckled as James changed Remus' hair to a lurid green and back. Remus retaliated by shooting a spark of purple light that made James' hair the greasy, stringy consistency of Snape's. James shrieked in exaggerated horror and doused himself from water from his wand. He was not so pleased when Sirius added soap bubbles and nearly engulfed his head in pink foam. A Tickling Charm flew at Sirius' face and he dived out of the way. All chaos broke out when it hit Dorcas on accident.

Lily could hardly remember ever having so much fun as she and the girls walked back to their dorms, water-logged and laughing. Dorcas wrung out her robes and claimed the bath first while Lily changed for patrols, wringing out her wet hair as best she could. She snapped on a fresh pair of robes while Marlene puzzled over whatever spell had turned her curls into sunflower yellow spikes (no one knew who cast it). Lily adjusted her badge and hurried down to the common room to meet James. She was still trying to dry her hair with drafts from her wand when he grabbed it out of her hand and pulled her into the corridor amid catcalls from Sirius and Peter.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I like your hair wet, looks nice."

"I look like a drowned rat."

"Do not

"Do too."

"Do not because I say so."

"And your word makes it so, does it Potter?" asked Lily impetuously.

"Yeah, it basically does. Now are we going to snog?" James questioned baldly, moving closer with an interested look in his eye. Lily giggled at James' forwardness and took a step back.

"If you want…"

"And I do."

"…then we can go to the Astronomy Tower." James rolled his eyes.

"Why would we do that?"

"Privacy."

"I'd prefer people seeing us at it, actually. Might give them the right idea—"

"Are you serious?"

"No, he's inside." Lily winced and latched onto James' arm. She led him towards the stairs as the Fat Friar puffed out one portrait and into another.

"That was an awful joke." James laughed affectionately.

"Yes, it is. We've been using that since practically first year; he hates it."

"I can imagine why…"

On the way to the Astronomy Tower, Lily and James ran into Filch, who said he was after Peeves but Lily thought he was after them.

"Well Peeves isn't here, is he?" said James dismissively. "Move along then, Lily and I have to patrol." Filch ground his yellowed teeth.

"I am still faculty Potter, and I'll be mentioning your cheek to Professor McGonagall."

"You do that, _sir_," James replied with a very sweet and very false smile. Filch hobbled a few steps closer; Mrs. Norris twining around his heels.

"Just mind that you and the _Head Girl_ keep to patrolling, or you're as good as students out of bed."

"I'll remember that."

"You'd better, Potter, or I'll have you like _that_." The caretaker snapped his fingers. With a seething smirk, Filch shambled away. James kept walking towards the tower but Lily tugged his arm.

"We can't go now. He knows. He really wants to nail you for something; how rude of him to think we were lying—"

"Lily," pointed out James humorously, "we were lying." She paused.

"Well alright then. We'd better take a shifty in the dungeons." James groaned magnificently and Lily laughed at his disappointment.

"This Head Boy business is a real pain-in-the—"

"Shut up, why don't you?"

Everything else went as smooth as silk until Lily was about to go up her staircase and something transmitted in her brain.

"James," she said suddenly, feeling a leaden _thud_ in her stomach. "Last night, the Slytherins. They were saying something about attacks before we walked in, and then Frank and Alice were hit by that cursed music box today, and then just before in Potions, Rosier mentioned them to me…Think they knew about it beforehand?"

James stiffened and Lily saw taut lines appear on his face. He rumpled his mussed black hair with his free hand.

"You're sure they were talking about the Longbottoms last night?"

"No, but they were saying something about attacks…"

"Could be any attacks though…" James was musing half to himself in a very cold voice. Lily touched his arm.

"Just saying. Goodnight James."

"Bye Lily," James kissed her but he was preoccupied as he climbed his own stairs. Lily went off to bed that night with a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature of her cozy bed.

**I couldn't resist the serious Sirius joke. That's all I have to say. I apologize for it but we all have weaknesses and puns are mine. This is mostly a filler chapter since the big Hogsmeade thing is coming up.**

**Thanks everyone, glad you enjoyed the last!**


	19. Slow to Change

No pertinent attacks surfaced in the _Daily Prophet_ after the Friday incident of the Longbottoms' attack, and by the next morning they were listed as "in stable condition, albeit the warts" and due to leave St. Mungo's soon. Lily and her friends spent all of Saturday with James and the Marauders (and occasionally Caradoc Dearborn). It was very fun to do anything with that crowd, as Lily quickly realized, because of the potential for a ridiculous outburst at any moment. As Dorcas put it to the rest of the girls late Saturday evening, (her face being covered in custard from a friendly dispute) "You get the feeling that together those boys will do anything. Just about anything."

Being with Lily did not, however, totally reform James in every way. He and Sirius received their first detentions of the year at dinner on Sunday evening.

Peter was recounting a humorous tale concerning James and an elderly Muggle woman. It was Lily who had first noticed McGonagall's disapproving figure marching towards the Gryffindor table; and James and Sirius managed to contort their features into expressions of innocence by the time she reached the seventh years.

"Potter! You are _Head Boy_!" were the first words out of her mouth. James winced and Remus laughed, apparently knowing what was coming, while the girls watched with interest.

"Explosions!" snarled McGonagall. "Stinksap! Flying glass! Evan Rosier will have to piece together his Charms essay by magic; it was blown to smithereens—"

"He opened his inkwell then," said a smirking Sirius. McGonagall's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Yes he did, Black!" she spat. "And imagine my shock when he told me that James Potter and Sirius Black were the last to touch that same inkwell in their Ancient Runes class! Detention for the both of you! You'll be cleaning that Stinksap tonight, and make no mistake about leaving your wands in the tower. I can't _believe_ the two of you, barely into the term—" McGonagall continued in this vein for quite some time, denouncing both James and Sirius and saying that if James couldn't control his magic, he couldn't keep his badge. At this point she had been winding down, but fired right back up when Sirius had the temerity to chuckle (quickly stifled) at this threat to James' title of Head Boy. With a final beady glare, McGonagall left the table just before dessert.

James sighed drastically and caught Lily's eye. She was looking at him severely, wondering how he could have pulled such a trick on Rosier without expecting to be caught. He grinned ruefully and reached for the Yorkshire pudding.

"Er…a momentary lapse? It is my first time trying to _enforce_ the rules instead of, um…"

"Snapping them into little bits?" suggested Remus with a smile. James grinned even more broadly.

"Well, yes, that—"

"Shut up, Potter," muttered Lily, giving him a faint half-smile before taking some pudding for herself. What harm could there really be in going after the Slytherins? Secretly, Lily was slightly pleased that James hadn't collapsed into a puddle of politeness just to win her approval.

James exhaled, relieved that Lily had practically given him her permission to be his old self. It seemed as if Lily had realized what she had just done as well, for she added hastily,

"But don't be a prick about it." James opened his mouth and was cut off by Sirius' dry laugh.

"Prongs? A prick? Aside from the notable alliteration of the two words, whatever would lead you—"

"Padfoot, whenever you'd like to close your fat face, we'd appreciate it." Sirius just grinned smugly and dove into his carrots. Lily snorted at this vicious display of eating; she was finding out that being good friends with the Marauders often meant meals of this sort.

"Quick question," said Marlene. "Where d'you get your names from? Like—what are they? There's Padfoot and Prongs, and Moony, and Wormtail, is it? Why—"

"Well, Remus is a flasher—" began James as the girls erupted into fits of mirth (Remus did not look so amused). This only encouraged James, who began to spin elaborate tales that didn't make sense in the slightest. Lily got the strong impression that not only was James not telling the truth (not hard to glean while he went on about Sirius' inherited foot disease), but that he was also deliberately leading the conversation away from the true origins of the names. Lily thought that maybe they were something personal; Emmeline, Dorcas, and Marlene were all laughing hard. Sirius, Remus, and Peter were exchanging secretive looks, smirking about something.

Lily didn't mention anything then, and she didn't say anything later that night as she and James patrolled after his detention. At her request, James told her all about what he and Sirius had done to Rosier; and he certainly seemed eager to share. Even Lily had to admit, grudgingly, that it was fairly clever and that it definitely sent a clear message to their Slytherin brethren. When they kissed that night, Lily decided not to press James for all of his secrets yet. After all, they hadn't even gone to Hogsmeade yet…

**Had to rescue James from becoming a goody-pansy in this chapter. Most LJ stories seem to get boring when they get their relationship together, which is dismal and useless.**

**The basic conflicts (basically reveals entire plan here) and external things are going to be (a) Slytherin scum, (b) fulfillments of prophesies, (c) incidents culminating in their joining of the Order of the Phoenix, and (d)er…the other stuff that would go on in this time period. And for anyone who is an enthusiast, don't think I've forgotten Quidditch. **

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ AND REVIEWED!**


	20. Marauder Madness

And in a few days, Lily wasn't sure that Hogsmeade was ever going to happen. Classes began again on Monday and Lily's idyllic situation continued until Wednesday, when James began to get fidgety. All during the day he was nervous and on edge while Sirius became even more sarcastic and flippant than usual. Lily spoke with Emmeline and Dorcas and Marlene; and she couldn't understand the strange behavior of any of these boys except perhaps poor Remus.

Remus looked terrible. He ate barely at all or everything and his skin was waxy and grey. Lily knew that, since the time she had known him, Remus had always been subject to little spells of sickness. His body apparently gave rather bad reactions to something (Lily was never quite certain just what) and she noticed this illness right away since she had been spending increasingly more time with him due to James. Dorcas said that she had overheard Remus speaking to James earlier that morning, saying groggily, "It seems to be getting worse as I grow up more…" Dorcas supposed it was an allergy. Emmeline figured he may have been cursed as a child and carried the effects (Emmeline was the only girl of the group to have grown up with almost no Muggle contact for Dorcas' mother was Muggleborn and Marlene's father was nonmagic). Marlene fretted that it was a terrible load of stress for Remus, but Lily thought that there was something more to it, something to make James antsy as well.

Lunch was a dismal affair, but dinner was worse. Although Dorcas and Marlene were trying to carry on a regular, joking conversation (Marlene with worried looks in Remus' direction) the boys were not their usual selves. Peter seemed practically burning from whatever was happening, for Lily realized that the air was not all gloom at dinner. It was charged with electricity, stiff and static and completely alien to the girls. Lily spent most of her meal quietly observing.

Sirius sat tense, alert, eating quickly and steadily as if he anticipated a specific occurrence that was beyond general knowledge. More than once, Lily caught Sirius smothering a wicked grin or a pleased half-smile. Peter, also, seemed more excited than anything else. He was eating as usual but also chatting loudly with the girls. Every now and then he would pause to give an enormous grin and sneak a look at James or Remus. Remus himself appeared to be in a great deal of pain, the sort of pain that might cause a blinding headache or a blackout. He spoke in nothing more than monosyllables and the answers were raggedly-drawn grunts.

James however, was a stranger case than all the rest. His casserole-loaded fork missed his mouth as often as not and he didn't notice the latter until it was pointed out to him that bits of green beans were stuck to his cheek. James kept sneaking furtive looks at Lily that he broke off as soon as he realized she was looking back. _He's looking at me like I'm a bomb_, thought Lily hopelessly when James speared her with another prettified glance and then stared into his pumpkin juice. _Like I'm about to kill him or curse him; like I'm a leper…_

It was a very sullen Lily that moped along to the library after dinner, alone, as it was. How could James be reacting so strangely to her? Like he was scared, almost. _Has he done something_? she wondered. _Is it me? Another girl? Maybe he doesn't like me anymore and we haven't even gone out—_

"Lily," cried a strangled voice from behind her. Lily whipped around, hand on the embossed library door handle, to see James hurrying after her in a state of considerable panic. He seemed both determined and desperate.

"Hey," he said breathlessly, stopping a few paces away.

"Hello…" Lily replied dubiously, giving him a quizzical look.

"I…er…" James fumbled.

He wanted to tell her everything. He knew Lily wouldn't believe any excuse he could give her for missing patrols; he loved that time as much as she did. There was no question in James' mind where his responsibility lay tonight though; Remus' transformation would be taking place any minute but he just wanted Lily to know that…_That what?_ he told himself furiously. _That one of my best mates is a werewolf and that I need to become an illegal Animagus tonight to break him out of the safehouse so that him and me and Sirius and Peter can run round the Forbidden Forest? Why did I come here? I ought to be at the shack…_

"Lily," James began again helplessly, raising his hands in a pleading gesture. "I…I just wanted…I can't—"

"There he is!" Sirius and Peter came hurrying down the hall, wands outdrawn. Sirius stopped and looked from James to Lily and back before giving a curt nod. It seemed that whatever he saw pleased him and he grabbed a tongued-tied James by the arm.

"Come on Prongs, it's time…"

"Time for what?" asked Lily, her voice bordering on angry. Whatever was going on here was not only confusing her mind but also her heart. _What is James up to? And why can't he just tell me?_

Sirius regarded her for a moment as Peter took James' other arm.

"We've got to…visit Remus. He's in the Hospital Wing."

"Hospital Wing? But why—"

"Sick, isn't he?" Peter answered quickly, light flashing in his piggy little eyes. "Pomfrey's going to have a cow if we're late for the appointment, let's be going…"

"You don't need an appointment for—" started Lily hotly, but Sirius led the way back down the corridor and took James and Peter with him. James would not meet Lily's eyes.

"Trust me, Evans," came his voice, floating back to her standing crestfallen at the end of the hall.

"Fine," she spat furiously to herself, wrenching open the door of the library and stalking to a table. "Fine. Just fine—"

"Shh." Madam Pince was eyeing her with vulture-like dislike on her countenance before she settled back into her book. Lily scowled crossly and unrolled a fresh sheet of parchment. She was behind on her homework anyway, who needed James? He was too good for her now, and Sirius was too superior to explain anything, and Peter was too lofty to lower himself to her paltry level…

Ironically enough, Lily was working on a Herbology paper entitled "Aconite and Alihotsy: Cause and Effect." Poison and hysteria certainly seemed to fit her mood, and Lily went into fatal detail with great viciousness.

Homework was something to keep her mind exercised, if not totally off of James. Lily played catch-up with her schoolwork and began a few projects early, only stopping when Madam Pince finally threw her out, despite her insistence on being Head Girl.

It was nine o'clock when Lily finally stormed into the girls dormitory and tossed two essays, three diagrams, and the beginnings of a concept map onto her trunk. Marlene lay reading a book and Dorcas was drafting a letter.

"Fabian said he was meeting me as early as possible at the Three Broomsticks this Saturday. He's one of the Curse-Breakers who's working on the Longbottom music box."

"Glorious," said Lily, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. Dorcas didn't seem fazed though; on the contrary she offered Lily a small, kind smile.

"James was just in a funk today. Don't worry Lily, you two are fine."

"Fine?" said Lily, voice on the rise. "Was it fine when he ignored me all during Transfiguration? Was it fine when he and Sirius whispered all through Charms and didn't say a loud word? Was it _fine_ when they left over an hour ago to the Hospital Wing on some phony _appointment_?"

"What?" asked Dorcas, sitting up quickly. Marlene put down her book and straightened up.

"What's going on, Lily?" In anguish, Lily proceeded to tell them about the bizarre meeting outside the library. Neither girl knew what to make of it.

"Definitely dodgy though," agreed Dorcas.

"Makes you think something's up with Remus then," Marlene added.

"But why can't he tell me?" asked Lily in a defeated sort of way. "I mean, we are…friends at least, right? At the least we're friends…"

"If I've said it once, I'll say it again," held Marlene, "James really likes you, Lily, he does, and he hasn't become 'disenchanted' or any nonsense your scheming mind has no doubt been coming up with. He'll tell you in his time."

"But _when_?" Lily felt awful; she didn't want to whine like this to her friends.

"Whenever. And you'll just need to accept that," said Dorcas gently, sealing her envelope. "C'mon, we'll take a walk to the Owlery. Maybe even run into Emmeline and Caradoc, though it's a bit drafty for them in there…"

Lily allowed her friends to try and cheer her up for about an hour (they didn't run into Emmeline anywhere, Dorcas said fondly, "It must be a very good space this time.") before she went back into bed and drew the curtains. She groped around for her little watch and the numbers read back 10:27. Lily simply sat until ten-forty five, at which time she rose and went wordlessly to the Gryffindor common room. Some sixth year girls and a few younger boys were sitting around but Lily just took a window seat and waited, peering out at the full moon and the illuminated Hogwarts grounds. The shapes of the trees were much stranger and longer in the white incandescence and Lily felt a slight shiver as a cold breeze snuck through a crack in the nearly-closed window. She huddle closer to herself, glancing at the watch and black until it was 11:15.

With a heavy heart, Lily stood up and rubbed her arms. _James isn't coming_…She felt as if something very thick and black and formless had settled over her heart as she walked wearily to the portrait hole and climbed out.

Patrols were miserable as Lily wandered on alone. _Discarded, discarded, discarded_. Lily knew rationally she was probably overreacting. She had been expecting too much too fast; it was only natural for him to need some time for himself and his friends. _But why did he have to lie…?_ For there was almost no uncertainty in Lily's mind that James had played her false. He had been guilty, not nervous, today, and had perhaps been about to let something slip when Sirius and Peter cornered him. Lily stopped trying to reason with herself after about ten minutes and turned to wallowing in exaggerated self-pity. James had been up to something as soon as he found out she liked him, James had not elected her into his confidence, James James _James_.

Allowed to herself, Lily stewed until almost quarter-to-one when she finally climbed into bed. Lily had walked over almost every inch of the castle at a quick pace, doing much more than the lazy patrols of herself and James. As she lay there, she discovered that she couldn't sleep. _Naturally_. She tossed and turned as the minutes ticked by, listening to the gentle breathing of her roommates. Emmeline was snoring faintly.

She was wide awake and at any rate, she didn't want to sleep. Lily wanted to puzzle out this mysterious behavior, this Marauder madness. So she jumped out of bed. Grabbing a thick blanket and an armful of pillows, Lily stalked to the common room. It was empty. She set herself up on the red couch and puffed her pillow ferociously, snuggling under the covers to her chin.

Lily lay there staring into the fire and its strange, twisting flames. _I'll ask him tomorrow_, she decided suddenly. _I'll get him to talk to me_. The logs of wood burned white and charred and the smell of warmth and smoky heat drifted into her nose. Lily's eyelids drooped and she gratefully welcomed sleep. Just as she drifted off, she could have sworn that she portrait hole slam…

**I'm trying out that slightly "longer" format in the chapters due to the clamoring (well, maybe just requesting) of the readers. I'll see if I can handle this in the future and tell me what you think, please.**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS AND REVIEWED**


	21. Last Night Out

Warm hands shook Lily awake Thursday morning. Marlene peered over her with mussy hair and concerned eyes, wrapped in her pale red bathrobe.

"Lily, you've been here all night. C'mon."

"Wha-whatsit happenin, Marley?"

"You need to get dressed and you need to _bathe_ Lily, let's go."

"I'll do it later."

"You can't get dressed later!"

"The other bit."

"_Lily_." Lily crabbily gathered her paraphernalia and toddered up the girls' stairs after an anxious Marlene.

"Found her," Marlene announced with a flourish. Dorcas came out of the bathroom yawning hugely and rubbing her eyes. Her hair bounced against her shoulder as she nodded hello and began the monumentous task of waking up a snoring Emmeline. Marlene turned around.

"Lily what were you _doing_ there? Have you been on the couch all night?"

"Yeah, so? Why'd ya wake me?"

"So? _So_? I went to find you because since _someone_ didn't set the alarm last night I realized that _someone_ hadn't come in! We were worried! Lots of things could have happened, Lily!"

"Lucky Marlene wakes up too early anyway," grunted Dorcas as she tried to push a protesting Emmeline off the bed.

Lily instantly felt awful. She had a terrible headache anyway and she had gotten nowhere near enough sleep, but she hadn't thought of how it was her job to set the alarm clock, or how her friends may have been thinking about her.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, looking down at her red pillowcase. "I just…I couldn't sleep and I wanted to look into the fire and think—"

"Fire? Where?" came a voice from somewhere in the depths of Emmeline's mass of tangled black hair.

"Ah, it wakes!" cried Dorcas triumphantly, yanking Emmeline's quilt off of her bed. "Then I'm taking the first bath! And Lily, don't worry, just tell us the next time you're not coming in or we'll think that Snape's got you."

"Yeah, it's okay," said Marlene with a small smile. "I'm sure you're just a little upset…"

"I am upset," Lily admitted, "but you're right and there's no reason to take it out on you. Sorry bout that."

"No problem." Marlene grinned and took Lily's blankets from her hands, laying them out on the bed. "I'm just glad I'm an early riser…so what were you thinking about?" A loud snore told them that Emmeline had gone back to sleep. Lily and Marlene smiled and Lily shared some of her thoughts with Marlene, who rejected just about every idea but the one that said that Remus' illness was a secret.

"Knowing those boys, it's illegal as likely as not," pointed out Marlene.

"Yeah…" Lily fiddled with the fringe of her curtains. She was going to ask James today anyway, just to be on the safe side. "Let's get dressed."

A half hour later, Marlene and Lily were ready to go and Dorcas was pulling her hair up with her usual red band.

"I'll work on the sleeping beauty, you lot go to breakfast and save me some kippers."

"Aye, aye, madam," saluted Lily, still trying to drag a brush through her hair as Marlene tugged her towards the door.

Several students were milling around the Great Hall but it was mostly empty. Lily sat down and poured some milk over her cereal just as Caradoc Dearborn and Benjy Fenwick sauntered over, Benjy with messy bed hair and his hair over his yawning mouth.

"Hello ladies. Seen Emmeline yet?" asked Caradoc. Lily shook her head.

"No, not awake. And you won't see her for a while either, Dorcas was just trying to rouse her when we left."

"That girl sleeps like a hibernating dragon," muttered Caradoc. "I sent an owl to her over the summer and it was gone for hours, apparently it had quite a job waking her up."

"Well she's _your_ hibernating dragon, Docs, so we'll wait I guess. Hey Lily, hello Marlene."

"Morning Benjy." Lily smiled. "You two want a seat?" The only other Gryffindors were three first year girls sitting at the far end, looking at Lily's friends and whispering. Caradoc shook his head.

"We'll try to get in some drills before we eat. Let's go Ben. And Lily, you ought to mention to your boyfriend that if he doesn't have his trials soon, he can expect a bottom-of-the-table opener from Slytherin. I hear they're good this year." Lily's smile froze at the mention of James but she was saved from saying anything immediate by Benjy's groan.

"Caradoc, you're a tyrant. You don't need any more damned Keeping practice and I'm bashing Bludgers from dawn til dusk—"

"Shut it. Bye girls."

"Bye." They waved as Caradoc and Benjy (who pretended to strangle his friend) took off for the pitch. Lily and Marlene talked about classes and this and that before Dorcas and Emmeline finally arrived, Emmeline falling into her seat with a _thump_.

"Hair looks nice this morning," Marlene commented evenly as Emmeline scowled and grabbed a scone. Her hair was sleekly pulled into a braided bun and delicate tendrils.

"Took forever, I'm bleeding _tired_," she groused. Dorcas only chuckled.

"You're tired because you were out with Caradoc and stayed up late to do your essays. It took you two minutes to get dresses and a half hour to do your hair. I, for one, don't feel too bad."

"Well you don't count," said Emmeline mutinously as the owls flew in. Dorcas removed her customary letter from a tawny owl's leg and tied on one of her own before handing the owl a bit of toast.

"Oh, Caradoc is at the Quidditch pitch with Benjy Fenwick. They should be in for breakfast though," Marlene said. Emmeline only grunted and sipped her juice.

Lily was scanning the Great Hall but there was no sign of James or any of the other Marauders. Caradoc and Benjy returned eventually, but Lily walked all the way to Herbology seeing neither hide nor hair of James Potter. Herbology, then free, then Potions. Professor Slughorn set them all to researching the entire period and there was no time to even speak. Lily did notice however, that both James and Sirius were pale—James with great bags under his eyes and Sirius nearly dozing off every few minutes—and that there was no sign of Remus Lupin. Lily was disheartened.

Although Lily and her friends sat at the same table as James at lunch, they might as well have eaten in the lake if they wanted to chat. James said nothing to Lily but that seemed to be tiredness, for he and Sirius and Peter choked down a great deal of food in a very short period of time and then promptly fell asleep at the table; Peter snoring into his pudding. Evan Rosier wandered over triumphantly with his cohort Wilkes, only to find Lily, Marlene, Dorcas, and Emmeline watching. Dorcas' wand was out and her eyebrow was raised, as if daring Rosier to move one finger towards the boys' heads. The Slytherins scowled and marched off before the stampede of moving students awoke the drowsy Gryffindors.

Double Transfiguration was no better because there was dictation; and Professor McGonagall had to bellow at Sirius and James to keep them concentrated. James was definitely more awake now, but he was not looking at her at all. _Determinedly, I think_, Lily figured. He was passing notes back and forth to Sirius, his partner, on a sheet of parchment. His cheeks were red whenever Lily looked over to his desk.

Finally, it was in Care of Magical Creatures that Lily got a chance to speak to James. Professor Grubbly-Plank (bless her dowdly little soul!) had partnered Lily and James on the same unicorn's horn, which they were to take notes on and diagram.

"James," said Lily in a quiet and clear voice. He looked over at her, very apprehensively, and then back at his parchment book.

"Yes?"

"James, why didn't you go on patrols last night?" she asked while trying to keep her tone even. He was slow in replying.

"I…I had to do something. For Remus."

"Oh." There were a few moments of silence between them punctuated only by the scratching of James' quill; he seemed very interested in the shiny unicorn horn before them.

"How is Remus?" asked Lily quietly.

"Fine. Just a bit under the weather, he should be over it by tomorrow."

"James, why didn't you tell me?" she blurted finally, voice stretching as if to break. James couldn't avoid her pleading gaze and his lifted his eyes reluctantly to hers as Lily felt her heart pound.

"About patrols?"

"Yes, about patrols. And whatever you were really doing."

"I told you! I was helping Remus. Can't you believe me?" Now it was he who seemed pleading, even though his words were hard. Lily pressed on.

"Well, I…I do. But what was it? You seemed awful nervous yesterday, and you're not yourself—"

"Lily, I'm fine, really. I'm just…involved now, okay?" He sounded tired. Lily bit her lip and tried to stop her eyes from welling up.

"Good. Well then good. I'm glad you're fine. And I suppose you won't be making rounds tonight, then?" James nodded wordlessly, looking infinitely weary. It was breaking his heart not to be able to tell Lily everything—she was too smart for his usual lies, she didn't understand—but he had told Remus on Saturday, told him days before the full moon, that he, James, promised to be with him. His dating Lily couldn't destroy their friendship, and when Sirius had asked if James intended to tell Lily about Remus being a werewolf, James was hurt. This was evidently something Remus and Sirius and Peter had discussed beforehand; and Remus was regarding him closely as he had answered, saying that he wouldn't even dream betraying that trust and what sort of swot did they think he was? Remus had breathed a deep sigh of relief and offered a smile, Sirius had clapped him on the back and Peter seemed happy that their moonlit adventures weren't going to be disrupted. Sirius had apologized later, but all the same. It hurt him not to tell Lily, though, he wasn't going to lie about that, and the hurt oozed in his heart like blood under a scab.

They spoke nary another word all class, except if James said something like, "Pass the horn?" and Lily would hand it over; or if Lily asked what he got for the question about healing and James would answer her that he was going back to it. It was as if their friendship had never took off and blossomed into something more, and both now thought it was all their faults.

James moped during dinner, said a terse goodnight to Lily and her friends, and headed up to the boys dormitory with Sirius and Peter to fetch his cloak and the Map. The reason Remus was in the Hospital Wing all that day was because his transformation had been particularly painful that moon, and he was covered in scratches and bites. James and Sirius had gotten their share as well while trying to control their transformed friend but James' cuts and bruises were nothing compared to the guilt of doing what was right and still feeling that it was wrong. When they snuck out that night, James took one last look at the door to the girls' dormitories before sneaking through the portrait hole behind Mallory Twiddle, a careless sixth year boy with spectacles and tufty blond hair.

Lily felt like she was moving through a dream. She performed the motions of chatter and homework and then finally lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, until it was time to patrol. Marlene was giving her worried looks but returned to reading her book; Lily was grateful for that because she didn't think she wanted to talk about it. About anything. How many nights would this go on before she, as Head Girl, had to say something? It would be James' fault if she had to report him; _he_ wasn't doing his duties, but the thought of stripping James of his badge made her feel heartless, not satisfied. Feeling like she was filled with lead, Lily roused herself with a shake and stole into the empty hallway.

Patrols went like the night before, but this time Lily didn't take so long. She gave a perfunctory look into every corridor and moved on, once apprehending a Hufflepuff fifth year carrying what looked like food from the kitchens (Lily listlessly docked only ten points; the boy scampered off practically cheerful). Once, Lily thought she heard footsteps around the dungeons, but there was nothing in the dank passage except Peeves (from whom she hid). Lily's patrols finished up in the dungeons and she plodded back up the many stairs.

As she passed the statue of Boris the Bewildered, Lily felt a sudden impulse to use the prefect's bathroom. A bath would certainly be just the thing to relax her. Muttering "_Peachy keen_", Lily entered the white-marbled room. The mermaid snoozed in her frame and Lily tossed her a withering glare. They hadn't been on good terms since last year, when the mermaid had remarked that Lily was getting heavy.

The house elves had left a fresh pile of robes on a low table nearby and picked out a pair of comfy witch's robes and a golden bathrobe. She turned her favorite taps (the carved sapphire, the slim ruby, and the emerald-encrusted) and stripped off her robes. Lily slunk into the pool and sighed with relief, grabbing a scrub brush from a nearby rack. After take a few lengths, Lily began the process of washing out her long red hair. The candles burned pleasantly lower before Lily finally climbed out again, refreshed and yet sleepy. She toweled her hair and after a careful choice, Lily put on the golden bathrobe. Leaving her old robes for the elves and taking the replacements, Lily left the bathroom wand-out, making her way quickly to the Gryffindor common room and hoping she didn't meet anyone along the way. Luck was with her as she awaken a very confused and drowsy Fat Lady and climbed in the entrance.

Lily stifled a yawn. The common room looked so inviting, with its cozy fire and plush furniture. She looked at her old couch longingly and then decided so what, why not? Bone-tired now and almost asleep on her feet, Lily made her way to the couch and wrapped herself in the fresh robes. Tears unshed from the past two days poured peacefully down her cheeks as she lay staring into the fire, her heavy eyes closing with slumber…

Lily awoke with a start some time later. The sky outside was still dark in the windows and Lily didn't know why she had awoken until she heard the voices. Someone, or some people, were in the common room, and they were arguing. She groaned tiredly.

"—ought to have left earlier, Prongs, you—"

"Wait, I hear… shh, shut up Padfoot—" Lily heard a noise like the swish of fabric before the words registered in her brain. She bolted upright and looked over the back of her couch.

Sirius and Peter were staring back at her nervously, Peter looking visibly calmer when he saw that it was her.

"Oh, hey Lily—"

"Evans, what are you doing here?" asked Sirius hurriedly.

"I was sleeping, and what are you doing here? And where's James?"

"What do you mean?"

"I heard him, I heard you. You said 'Prongs', that's what you call him, where is he?" Lily stared around the common room quickly, as if she would find James standing against a wall. Sirius shook his head.

"He's not here. You were imagining it. Just go back to sleep and for Merlin's sake, Evans, go to the dormitory why don't you?"

"Why are you lying?" demanded Lily in anguish. "I know! I know…you…you—"

"Shh," said Sirius soothingly, coming over to the couch. "Look, talk to him tomorrow—"

"I don't want to talk to him tomorrow; I want to talk to him now! James?" she called. "James? Answer me, you—"

"Lily," Sirius said patiently. "He's not here. It was only me and Peter, only us. C'mon, you're tired, go to sleep."

"But I know it, I know—"

"Lily, let's go. You're going to the dorm—"

"I am not!" she said hotly, wrapping her robes tighter. Hot tears fought to course their way down her cheeks again, but Lily held them back. "I am staying right here!" Sirius gestured with his hands helplessly.

"Fine. Goodnight. Let's go Wormtail." They trudged to the stairs. Lily folded her arms and gave the common room one more look-see. Truly, there was no one in sight, but Lily had sworn, _sworn_ that she had heard James. And Sirius talking to James. And if so, why was no one here? And if not, was she beginning to imagine seeing and hearing James? Was she that far gone?

Lily nestled down into her makeshift cocoon with a heavy heart as bone-deep tiredness took her once more. _I'll figure it out tomorrow_…

Peter entered the boys' dormitory while Sirius paused on the threshold and looked questioningly at the spot where he had last heard James. A soft voice, barely audible, said,

"I'll bung her a blanket Padfoot. Be up soon." Sirius nodded, cast one last glance as a dozing Lily, and left.

James sighed. He wandered over to the plush couch where a pile of red hair spilled over the upholstery. James had a blanket with him; he hadn't been sure if they were spending the night with Moony or not. Taking the worn brown quilt from under his Invisibility Cloak, he first made sure that Lily was asleep before gently laying it over her huddled body. She looked sad but peaceful, her lips slightly parted in slumber. Her hair was twisted around her head in an orange nimbus and on closer inspection to her streaky face, James saw that she had been crying. His heart welled painfully at the thought of having hurt Lily and he looked sadly upon her before walking away and hoping she'd forgive him the next day.

The last memory Lily had of that strange night was an impression of sudden warmth and softness, and a faint odor of musk surrounding her…

**I tried to handle it the furry little problem in a realistic way. I think I covered something about James telling or not telling Lily in this chapter as an answer. My idea of the situation is this: The only reason James would ever think to tell Lily is because he doesn't want her getting hurt or mad at him because he cannot always live up to his ideals. James wouldn't think, though, of telling Lily if it wasn't a life or death situation because although he may have liked her for a long time, it's not like they're married yet or anything and his loyalty is to Remus first. This doesn't mean that Lily won't find out one way or another in due course of the entire story. As far as figuring it out, Lily is not going to guess by the first full moon that Remus is a werewolf. The same general idea goes for James telling Lily he is an Animagus. **

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS AND REVIEWED**


	22. Resolution

Marlene awoke Lily once more the next morning and Lily thumped up the stairs to her room groggily, barely hearing the protests of her friend. Lily fell into bed and continued to snooze until Dorcas sharply tapped her on the head and told her in no uncertain terms that if she took more than three minute to get ready, Lily would be walking alone to breakfast. In ten minutes, Lily staggered down to the Great Hall by herself, yawning and tying up her hair with a pale blue ribbon. She slumped down at the Gryffindor table between Marlene and third year, sighing and grabbing a muffin.

"Joey Jenkins is back," murmured Emmeline as she also reached for a muffin. "She came last night, by Floo we think, but we're not sure. She looks okay, doesn't she?"

Lily looked over at the Ravenclaw table and "okay" did not seem to be quite the word. The normally bouncy Ravenclaw was staring into her cereal silently. Her group of friends acted static and nervous and quiet, like they weren't sure if they should talk to her or not. Lily pitied the poor girl; now she would need friends more than ever.

"There was another attack today," Dorcas said, and she almost managed to make it sound casual. "Somewhere in Exeter. Four Muggles and two of the Boneses."

"_Four_?" cried Marlene in a terror-struck voice.

"A _Bones_?" Emmeline asked shrilly.

"The Muggles are dead. And…and so are Mr. and Mrs. Bones," finished Dorcas in a quavering voice. Emmeline sucked in air loudly.

"But… how? They—they can't—"

"It was an ambush for the Boneses," said Dorcas bleakly. "The Muggles were…were in the way."

"That's terrible," said Lily in a soft, sad voice. "What horrible things are happening everywhere…" There was silence at the table, as in most other places in the Great Hall. Lily noticed for the first time that both McGonagall and Flitwick were wearing totally black, hats and all, and McGonagall was clutching a large silken hanky that she would occasionally use to dab her eyes. Professor Dumbledore was not in his usual seat at the High Table.

"Where's Dumbledore?" questioned Lily quietly. The girls looked at each other and shrugged while four people approached them.

"After Voldemort, isn't he?" said Sirius Black in a hard voice. The Marauders all sat down casually; James finally trying to meet Lily's eyes. Lily looked back coolly and experienced an odd detachment; James wasn't really hers anymore.

Marlene winced and dug into her cornflakes. Peter loaded his plate with lox and eggs. Emmeline spoke first.

"Black, please bandy around You-Know-Who's name as much as possible. It'd be a delightful way to begin our classes with him swooping in on us."

"Sirius! Emmeline!" exclaimed Marlene with widening blue eyes. "You can't wander around just _saying_ that! Shut up for Merlin's sake! And how are you this morning, Remus?" she asked kindly.

Lily personally thought that another day in the Hospital Wing might do the wan Remus Lupin some good, but he managed a weary smile and groped for the porridge.

"Fine, thanks. Just some complications yesterday." Emmeline opened her mouth like she was going to inquire precisely what those complications were, but stopped suddenly. Lily thought that this might have had something to do with the movement of Dorcas' foot, which she had encountered underneath the table.

"Had a nice sleep?" asked James lightly with a sideways glance at Lily. Lily ignored him and eventually it was Dorcas that answered.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Pass the juice please, Peter." Peter complied.

"Caradoc's holding Quidditch try-outs on Monday evening," blurted Emmeline. "Ravenclaw wants to start early."

"They could've started in July and they still won't beat us," replied James evenly, but his heart was not entirely in it. _What's the matter with Lily? She's not looking at me at all…_

"Yeah, except that Joey Jenkins is back and she's insisting on trying out. She's a damn good Beater," pointed out Dorcas earnestly. Emmeline scoffed.

"That's nothing, since I intend to fly this year—"

"As a cheerleader?" interjected Sirius with a smirk. Emmeline threw him a nasty look and the rest of the meal was lost to Quidditch banter, which James joined in only dispiritedly. Lily munched on her apple silently, paying no heed to the odd looks of Sirius, James, or Remus. Peter was either oblivious to her bland behavior or simply uninterested.

All classes and even dinner passed in this sad, slow manner to Lily, for everything seemed sad and slow lately. Dorcas and Emmeline worked hard to alleviate the tension while the Marauders joined in lightly. James seemed like he was trying to speak to her but for some reason Lily just felt so…flat. Marlene barely spoke a word and continued to take measuring glances of Lily. Lily was not at all sad to retreat to her dormitory that evening, quietly excusing herself as Sirius engaged Marlene and the girls in a game that somehow involved wizard's chess and betting. James looked very determined but she quickly slipped up to her room, ignoring the pair of eyes and shiny glasses that followed her every move.

On her bed was the mysterious brown blanket from last night, neatly folded by the house elves over her usual comforter. Lily picked it up and studied it ponderously. It was certainly very soft and worn, like it had been rigorously broken in by someone interested in being very snug. It looked like it had been sewn together of little brown patches a long time ago, and there were the faded threads of initials in the corner that Lily couldn't make out. She sighed; one of the house elves must have made a cleaning mistake…

—_But the house elves never make mistakes_. Lily shrugged the blanket over her shoulders. It felt nice and smelled pleasant and it was certainly very warm. Lily was detachedly surprised to find that the coldness that had been eating at her insides all day seemed to be abating slightly. Lily settled down cozily on her bed. She drew the curtains and lit a tiny flame in a small glass orb she had recently bought; it lit up the enclosed space with subdued light. Lily drew her knees to her chest and grabbed her book, parchment, and quill. She began her Transfiguration homework but couldn't concentrate. Lily put the quill down every so often and stared off into the distance (the far end of her red curtains). It was quite a while before laughing voices came up the dormitory stair and Lily heard the door open.

"Shh, shh, shut _up_ Emmy!" whispered Dorcas' voice quickly.

"Lily? It's after ten," called out Marlene uncertainly. Lily didn't reply, still day dreaming about just where she and James had went wrong so soon—

"Lily." Emmeline yanked open the curtains. Lily blinked."Let's go now. James wants to talk to you." Lily regarded her carefully and Emmeline's look became questioning.

"Lily, he wants you. Now, he says; he's waiting…"

"You may tell him that he can wait; I'll patrol when I want to."

"When _you_ want to?" asked Emmeline before Dorcas elbowed her out of the way.

"Lily what is it? You've been off all day."

"Does this mean you're going alone?" Emmeline interjected artfully. "You don't want Potter to be there?"

"He can do what he likes…"

"Lily, snap out of it!" said Marlene harshly, even though her eyes were wide with worry. "Go downstairs, talk it out, you've been convincing yourself of things that aren't true again—"

"I don't want to. I have homework."

"That essay's not due for another three days," pointed out Emmeline. "What happened between you and—"

"You know what," answered Lily, her composure cracking just a bit. Dorcas sat on her bed and took her hand.

"Is this something to do with Remus? Because he said that they were there all night, last night and before and stuff—"

"Then why couldn't he _tell_ me that?"

"Ask him yourself."

"I—" Lily stopped. She realized that she was being belligerent. Dorcas was concerned and trying to help. Lily was not ready to submit to James' undoubtedly long stream of apologies—she wanted him to suffer a bit, a taste of not being told what's what—but the advice of her friends made sense. Lily clutched the blanket closer.

"Fine. I'll go now. Can you hand me my wand?" Wordlessly, Emmeline gave Lily her willow wand, which Lily gripped tightly in her right hand.

"Thanks." Lily made her delayed way to the door and then meandered over to James, who appeared to be waiting alone on the loveseat. She stood in front of him—tacitly refusing to sit—and waited. A dull _pitter patter_, like that of a butterfly beating its wings against a glacier, sounded in her chest.

James looked up at her unhappily. Her waves of loose hair were faintly unkept and she turned only a blank stare on him with her sizzling green eyes. Her chin was held high and altogether, it felt like Lily was observing him as if he was a sort of tiresome child, or a clear piece of empty wall…

James stood up and pushed through his hair. He was determined to break Lily out of her proposed lassitude, even if she nearly killed him in the process. With a jolt, James looked past her face and realized, with a hard swallow, that she was wearing his blanket.

"Look Lily," he began, running his rehearsed speech that he had practiced all last night, "this is hard to talk about. I don't want to give you the wrong ideas about anything, so I'd like you to get whatever you're thinking out in the open so I can fix it. Tell me what's happening."

Her answer lashed him like a whip. "You left me to do something else that you refused to tell me about." James winced.

"Lily, you wouldn't understand if I told you—"

"Try me," she replied inflexibly, fixing him with her flashing eyes. "I'm a smart girl."

"I know, I just…" James sighed again. He didn't even know how to do this. "I promised someone something, and—"

"A girl?"

"What?" James was startled. Lily thought that he had been so worked up over another _girl_? Did she have any idea what she did to him whenever she was around? Could she even comprehend how much he wanted to get to know her? To be with her?

"You said you've like me for years," continued Lily, her eyes welling up even as she stared at him unflinchingly. James knew his heart was constricting with pain. "You said that, and you can't tell me anything? At all? You couldn't have even…" Lily sniffled, angry at herself for crying. What did it matter if stupid Potter didn't really like her? Plenty of other people did; Lily didn't need him….even if she had started liking him back—

"Lily, I can't! How can you even _think_ it was another girl?" James was in anguish. "Huh? My friends just needed me, I couldn't have told you then because I owed it to them. I _owed it to them_. Can't I ask you to please understand that?" he pleaded. Lily saw Remus coming down the stairs behind James, looking stricken.

"Prongs, is this about—"

"It's fine, Remus, I've got—"

"No, no, shut up. Listen Lily," Remus turned to her beseechingly. "James was doing something for me, I swear. It was stupid me to ask him but—"

"_No_ Moony, don't even talk like—"

"And I'm sorry," Remus continued loudly over James' heated objections "if you're having a hard time believing that but it's true. Believe James; he wouldn't have done it if I hadn't asked him. And that's all I've got to say." Remus paused. James looked like he was about to say something angrily but Remus concluded, "I'm, er, going back in…just came out here to facilitate…"

"Moony, you stupid git, don't say things like that," snarled James. "If anything it was me and Sirius. You were always—"

"Shut up Prongs." Remus offered Lily a weak smile and marched right back to his bedroom. James looked mutinously after him and made moves as if to follow, but he stopped when Lily gave up a small sob. The ice in her body was melting. _Remus and James might have a fight now, it's all my fault, why oh why…_

"Lily, come here." James opened his arms and Lily flew into them, still crying.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she grieved into his shoulder. "I just didn't know what you were doing or if you hated me—"

"Hated you?" James drew back and stared at her.

"—and now you and Remus are going to have a row and it's all going to be because of me and I shouldn't even be crying and I wish I wasn't and—"

"Lily, be quiet. We're leaving." With a sniffle, Lily let him put his arms around her and steer her out of the portrait hole. She had almost forgotten that they had been in the common room. _Won't this be the talk of everything tomorrow…_

James led her down the hallway and faced her under a long row of windows. The brilliant waning moonlight streamed over their faces. Lily swallowed heartily and managed to control herself.

"James, I've been a prick. I'm so sorry."

"No, I guess I could have told you more. I'm sorry too, but please, please understand. I can't always tell you everything." Lily nodded. Being happy and with James was better than being depressed and without him. James smiled, jubilant once more.

"Good. Now can you hand me over my blanket?"

"_Your_ blanket? So you were in the common room last night!" James paused but then admitted,

"Yes."

"Then why didn't I see you?"

"Because I can become invisible." Lily elbowed him playfully and laughed for the first time since Wednesday.

"Don't take the mickey out of me, James. What was it really." James just shrugged and grinned. Lily pursed her lips; this was going to take some getting used to.

"Okay then. But I'm keeping your blanket. I like it."

"Suits me. Now, Miss Evans, can I take you to the kitchens for a late-night snack?"

"James, we're supposed to be catching people popping to the kitchens for a late night snack."

"Then we'll need to be doubly sharp, won't we?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"C'mon." They did patrol—early, as James pointed out—but thoroughly, and it was indeed late when James finally dragged Lily to the kitchens. They were both pretty tired after meeting Peeves on the sixth floor, where he was busily covering the floor with wads of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. Lily was still picking bits of blue gum off of her robes while James tickled the pear deftly and grabbed the green door handle.

Instantly they were swarmed by house elves in the brightly-lit kitchen. Lily was amazed that they would be awake so late into the night, much less cooking or feeding the fires, but James was picking a small parfait off of a tray and handing it to her.

"Mister James, Mister James!" peeped up a tea-toweled elf. "You is bringing a friend into the kitchens, how nice! Here Miss, you take these biscuits too—"

"Oh but I couldn't," Lily began, but James breezed over her hesitations.

"Thank you, thank you dear elves. Miss Lily and I will be taking the sugar biscuits back and that will be all." Lily snorted. _Dear elves…_ The elves squeaked in approval. One elf in a chef's hat that appeared to be created from dishrags spoke up,

"Anything else we can be getting you, Miss? Mister James had never brought a _girl_ to the kitchens before, usually Misters Sirius and Peter and Mister Remus. Although Mister James does have a wide circle of girlfriends, why one time I is cleaning—"

"That's enough," said James hurriedly, taking the red velvet drawbag handed to him by another elf with eyes as wide as tennis balls. It smelled like delicious sweets and sugar inside. "We're leaving now, g'night you lot…"

"Goodbye Mister James! Farewell! Good luck to Miss Lily too!"

"Thank you," smiled Lily graciously. "Everything in the castle's always wonderful by the way." The talkative house elf dipped into a low bow that had its nose nearly sweeping the floor.

"We is pleased that you regard our work so well miss! Come again soon!" James tugged Lily away and they munched sugar biscuits on the way back to the Gryffindor tower.

"Girlfriends, eh?" said Lily with a shrewd glance at James, even though she knew what the house elves had meant. James seemed embarrassed.

"Er…yes. Friends-who-are-girls I imagine, can't fathom what that elf was talking about—"

"They seem to know you well."

"They ought to, we found out about the kitchens in first year."

"_First year_?" James smiled rakishly.

"We were industrious students. And Sirius and Peter ate like trolls." Lily laughed, feeling the warm melt of floodwater cruising comfortably through her body. James didn't hate her, and he was sorry, and he…oh wait—

"James, whatever you're doing with Remus isn't illegal, is it?" asked Lily suddenly. James stopped short and there was no mistaking his guilty look this time.

"I… er…"

"James! Is this going to get you _expelled_?"

"Not if no one catches us."

"_James_!" James was wary, trying not to break the fragile peace.

"Listen, I can't say anything. I promised."

"James, please be honest with me. Can't you answer just a few of my questions?" pressed Lily desperately. James squirmed but finally answered her,

"Fine. A few. If I can't tell you, I won't. Deal?" Lily ignored him nd plunged ahead.

"Could you or anyone else get hurt?" James looked away.

"Yes."

"If someone found you out, could you get expelled?"

"Yes."

"And Remus?"

"And Remus." Lily exhaled sharply.

"Then how could you still—nevermind. Is this some stupid stunt to endanger someone you don't like?"

"No."

'Is it a half-baked thrill-seeking plan?"

"No…" James was getting very uncomfortable now. Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"And Remus is _fine_ with all this?"

"He has no choice, none of us do."

"Where do you go?"

"I can't say." Lily was exasperated but trying to keep her temper. Any number of stupid schemes ran through her head.

"Will you ever stop?" she asked carefully. James shook his head.

"Highly unlikely."

"Would I like it if I found out what you were up to?"

"Lily, I—"

"Do you take safety precautions?"

"Yes," said James, relieved. He was eager to share. "Loads. We have our wands and everything, and Sirius and me—" James stopped, unsure how much to give away.

"So Sirius is in on this too?" followed up Lily quickly.

"_Yes_. We all are. And please don't ask me to tell you anymore."

"Does Dumbledore know?" There was silence. James shook his head again, looking positively miserable now.

"I see…" Lily clicked her teeth as they climbed the stairs, and weighed her options. James was doing something that was totally illegal and dangerous, probably out-of-bounds or in the Forbidden Forest. They were all dragged into it and no matter what she said, they wouldn't stop. Every rule and every code screamed at Lily to report something, or at least to snub James until he told her more, but she didn't give in.

"Well if you must…" James picked up his head swiftly, eyes bright with hope.

"Really?"

"James, you wouldn't stop even if I asked you to, so what's the point? Either I walk off in a huff for something you're not going to change and I accept it and try to get past it. I like the second one."

"Brilliant! You won't regret it Lily, I swear. Nothing'll—"

"That's what you said about my going out with you," said Lily dryly. James got back a bit of the old twinkle in his hazel eyes.

"Speaking of which, do you know what tomorrow is?" Lily blushed red. She had almost forgotten.

"Hogsmeade."

"Yes indeed. I have a surprise planned, Lily Evans, and it's all for you."

"Charming, I'm sure. No dungbombs involved this time, Potter?" James looked highly affronted.

"That was third year!"

"Fourth."

"Oh."

At the bottom of Lily's stairs that night they faced each other. Lily was leary of this part; she didn't know what James would do. James, naturally, had no such reservations and pulled Lily's cheek right over for a soft kiss on the lips.

"Glad we're back to this again." Lily socked him in the arm and smiled.

"Me too. Goodnight, Potter."

"Sleep tight, Evans. And I'll see _you_ tomorrow at breakfast." Lily departed for bed and James stared after her with a relieved smile. Things were right in his world again.

**Yes, the sadness ends here. I didn't mean for this to get so emotional but I figure Lily has a right to get overworked up about James after all, and she's still in "teenage hormone" range so I did it anyway. Next chapter is Hogsmeade, woot. **

**James and his friends have been through a lot together so they're not just going to split because James likes Lily.**

**Remus' problem was resolved here. I pictured him sitting in his room with Sirius and Peter watching the Marauder's Map and then just thinking "Oh damn" and running downstairs to head off confrontation for James.**

**(Elspeth Renee)**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS AND REVIEWED**


	23. Hogsmeade

Lily looked over the Hogwarts grounds from the entrance hall. A few trees from the Forbidden Forest had already shed a few leaves, which blew on the soft wind that lightly raked the grounds. The sky was blue and studded with loads of crisp clouds that effectively blocked the bright sun. The air was cooling already and autumn was upon them. Lily pulled her cloak closer around her.

"Ready?" Lily whipped around. James stood there, looking unbearably handsome to her now that he and Lily were on good terms once more. Sirius lounged lazily against the wall, impatiently flicking his hair out of his eyes. Remus offered her a tight grin; he still seemed nervous about something while Peter was licking his fingers from breakfast.

"Are those barmy girls going to be ready any time soon—"

"Shut up, Black." Emmeline and Caradoc, followed by a beaming Dorcas and Marlene, arrived. Dorcas positively glowed with excitement. Her eyes shown and she had paid extra attention to herself today, as Lily noticed.

"So the plan's that we all walk down together then split?" said James. Caradoc nodded.

"Me and these Gryffindors here…" Emmeline knocked his arm.

"I said Benjy could come." Caradoc snorted.

"Benjy's not _awake_ at this time; he sleeps in on Hogsmeade days. Come to think of it, I usually do too—"

"Then you're welcome to leave," announced Emmeline, even though she made no move to push him away when he put his arm around her.

"Let's be off, said James abruptly. Lily noticed that he was carrying a pack over his shoulder but she didn't ask anything as they marched to Filch to get inspected before leaving.

"Isn't this just stupid?" asked Sirius loudly as Filch scanned his boots with a sensor.

"Seeing as you sneaking brats are liable to do anything, no. I don't think it is, Black." Filch jabbed his one final time and Sirius rolled his eyes, rubbing the sore spot on his arm.

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had a great league of spies and supporters, and he spreads trouble wherever he can," sniped Filch pointedly, as if suggesting that the students—James and Sirius in particular—were trying to hide Voldemort under their cloaks. Sirius snorted disdainfully.

"You've got the wrong brother there. Regulus should be coming along in a moment though, maybe carrying a few shrunken heads—"

"Off with you, Black!" roared Filch. Sirius and James blinked at each other and smiled easily, leading the way down to Hogsmeade.

"That's one way to get out of there quickly," commented Remus with a laugh.

"I hardly remember you had a brother in Slytherin, Sirius," said Dorcas.

"It'd be better if you forgot about him, I try to everyday…" James laughed.

"Regulus isn't too fond of you either, mate. Remember when he tried to get us to hex those Muggles?"

"That's because the twonk couldn't do it himself," grunted Sirius testily. Lily got the idea that James was one of the few, or maybe the only, person that could safely bring up the subject of Sirius' family.

"I caught him trying out a spell or two on the first years before I stuffed him into a closet," said Caradoc easily. "He's been picking up tricks from Travers and Wilkes, his new best mates…" Sirius didn't seem particularly angry at this bit of news, which Emmeline looked surprised at.

"Wilkes wouldn't know a good curse if it hit his gran in the face," said James impatiently while Sirius and Remus sniggered. "He'll be killed someday, trying to set up the Dark Mark with a twirling baton. He can't tell his wand from his—"

"James, that's very nice but let's not talk about it," said Lily loudly as Emmeline and Caradoc burst into appreciative laughter. Peter was withdrawn; the only one not laughing aside from the starry-eyed, dreamy Dorcas, whom Lily did not suspect was listening at all. James shrugged with a smile.

"I just hope whoever does it gets Rosier and Snape too, make it a triple funeral…" They, luckily, arrived at Hogsmeade at this point, entering the outskirts of the village. Dorcas looked around animatedly like a kid at Christmas, her sharp eyes moving so fast that Lily wondered that she didn't get a strain.

"I guess we're about to split," remarked Sirius easily. "Me and Moony and Wormtail and Marlene can had over to—"

"Fabian!" cried Dorcas, finally spotting a tall man waiting by the Three Broomsticks. He turned at the sound of her voice and his face broke into a smile. Fabian Prewett had light, reddish brown hair, a strong jaw, and twinkling eyes; he laughed as Dorcas launched herself at him and he caught her in his arms.

"Excited are we?" Dorcas just kissed him lightly before he set her back on the ground. He nodded hello Lily and the rest. James and Sirius seemed to know him a little; they held out their hands and the three shook.

"Nice to see you, James. Sirius. Get any better at flying than you were this summer, Potter?" James laughed.

"I didn't fall off my broom this summer like some people, Prewett." Fabian shrugged good-naturedly.

"It wasn't a fall. Your friend here rammed me into the house." Sirius grinned rather wickedly and shrugged back at him. James raised his eyebrows.

"Lucky my house held when your brother hit into him." This time Fabian laughed too.

"Tell you mum and dad that my sister and the rest of us say hello. Molly still wants to figure out how she made that chicken thing."

"You two know each other?" asked Dorcas brightly, still holding on to Fabian's arm. It was Sirius who answered.

"I met him at Prongs' over the summer. I never knew what the nice pureblood families did when they got together. At our house it was always pouring the biting tea kettle for Mother's muggle-hating friends."

"The Prewetts are related to us a bit," explained James to Lily. "I went to Molly and Arthur's wedding when I was about eight."

"You took the last ganache," interjected Fabian. "Gideon was furious, remember how he threatened you with the Bat Bogey hex?"

"Remember? How could I forget? It took Dad weeks to get me to eat another ganache for fear of flying bogeys…" Everyone had a good laugh, even Peter, who did not often join in at laughing at James. James grinned ruefully. Fabian shook his head.

"I don't know about you, Potter. If you and Black don't cheat like last time, maybe I'll let you play Quidditch with me again. They haven't made you captain, have they? Merlin, they have, Gryffindor is in trouble _this_ year—" Fabian broke up chuckling as James scowled and tossed a pinecone at his head. He moved easily and it bounced off the doorjamb.

"On that note, let's go Dorcas. We've got some catching up to do, and James needs to convince his friends that he still has some dignity…"

"You do that, Prewett," sneered James. He added a serious "Take care." Fabian nodded and he and Dorcas entered the Three Broomsticks. James turned back to the group and there was a moment of quiet until Emmeline said,

"Dorcas was right. He _is_ rather good-looking." Caradoc looked dubiously at her and snorted. Emmeline gave him a slow smile.

"Emmy, you're a trip. Do you rest mind if we go now? I can't believe you really want to go to Madam Puddifoot's—"

"Goodbye Lily, goodbye Marlene," interrupted Emmeline, dragging Caradoc away towards the chintzy tea shop. Sirius laughed.

"Remus, you and Peter and I will now squire Miss McKinnon to Zonko's, a reputable establishment for the enjoyment of students everywhe—"

"Pick me up some more of those new fireworks, Padfoot," said James, taking Lily by the hand. "Let's go Lily; it'd be better if you didn't witness the sight of Sirius in a joke shop. It's just disgraceful…" Sirius smirked and Lily and Marlene exchanged secret, nervous looks. Remus looked uneasy as well, though Lily couldn't imagine why. Peter waved them off.

"Bye James!" James smiled kindly and led Lily down the main street away from Hogwarts.

"James, where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." He looked over mischievously at her and winked. Lily was excited to experience the familiar ripple of warmth in her stomach. She blushed and looked away. Lily really wanted this date to go well and she knew that as passing Hogwarts students whispered and pointed, there could be no doubt that they were now together. A girl named Florence whom Lily knew a little from Herbology was watching so closely that she tripped up over her friend's shoe.

"Mighty interested, aren't they?" commented James easily. "I'm glad they're finally staring at me because I've got you. It's a nice change from the usual shouting and carrying on that you do when you're mad at me." Lily opened her mouth to laugh but clamped it shut. _Best not remind James of those times_, she thought.

"Scared you'll lose my affections, Evans?" asked James sneakily. She rolled her eyes at him. James just leant in close to her ear and whispered,

"Don't be. The only way this date won't go well is if I find out in an hour that you're actually Bertram Aubrey drinking Polyjuice Potion. _That'd_ be a disaster." Lily laughed out loud and popped a sherbet lemon into her mouth. If nothing else, James could defuse tension very well. They reached the very end of the main road, at a stile, which was at the foot of the mountains.

"Come on. We're going up."

James stared climbing a narrow path. The walk seemed to go on for about a half hour and Lily felt a little hot. The clouds and the breeze dispelled the worst of the discomfort as Lily followed James along a steep, winding road. The pair got on as well as always and Lily only threatened to throw James off of the mountain twice for insinuating things about Slytherins and first years.

Lily sucked furiously on her third sherbet lemon (_I really ought to write to mum for more…_) when James finally stopped. He climbed through a slim opening in the solid rock and Lily squeezed in after him. She stood up properly and looked around.

They were in a small, cool cave. There was poor lighting, but James quickly remedied this with his wand, setting up dancing little flames overhead. Lily was interestedly examining the cave, marveling over its neatness, when James tapped her on the shoulder. He gestured towards the ground, over which had been laid a thick blanket and a small basket. Lily shot him a questioning sideways look; he was chuckling and sat cross-legged against the wall, on the blanket himself. Lily lowered herself down suspiciously.

"It's not as comfortable as I would have liked, but it's as good a place as any to begin."

"Begin what, James?" He laughed and pulled her snugly against him. Lily settled down pleasantly, wishing her face wasn't so hot from the climb.

"For getting to know you of course. You said it yourself that before this year, we've hardly had two words together. That is, besides those choice words you often reserved for me."

"James, are you serious about this?"

"Extremely." Lily laughed graciously.

"Then you've certainly planned this all out, Mister Potter, and I will allow you to try and impress me. My only question would be why we're doing this in a cave." James smirked down at her.

"To prove that not only am I fantastically interesting, but also incredibly spontaneous and thoughtful."

"Thoughtful, are you?" asked Lily playfully. "I fail to see how."

"I didn't think you'd want to go around together yet," explained James. "If I know my Lily Evans—and I do—all of those looks and 'I-told-you-so's might have gotten to you."

"No one would say 'I told you so,'" said Lily, pointedly not mentioning anything else James had said. Inwardly, she was touched that James would have gone to lengths to think this date out; she had been expecting an uncomfortable meeting in Madam Puddifoot's that would soon be eclipsed by nightly patrols. That head of his hadn't deflated _too_ much over the summer though. To what she had said, James merely laughed knowingly.

"I'm sure. Besides, even if no one else says it, _I_ told you so—" Lily elbowed him.

"Let's not talk about that."

"No. Let's talk about other things, and then eat lunch, and then snog. Or we could snog before we eat—"

"_James_." Lily interrupted him, quite red in the face at the idea. "You brought lunch?" she asked quickly. James was still raising his eyebrows suggestively and the question caught him off guard.

"Oh, yeah, in that sack over there," he gestured.

"This blanket and lunch for the both of us fit into that one bag?"

"I may not be as good as you, Lily, but I can at least manage a Shrinking Solution and then an Engorgement Charm." Lily blushed. James was pleased with himself and continued loosely,

"And so there's food in there, and drinks, and we're not getting at either of them until we get to know each other."

"You can't do anything without a big flash and a bang, can you James?" laughed Lily. James smiled and answered truthfully,

"No, I can't. And if I was going to be immature, Evans, I really could take that in two ways, which I'm sure you didn't mean—"

"I mean you couldn't have even brought a hamper, could you? Like a normal person would."

"Are you mental? I would have had to carry to damned thing all the way here…" Lily rolled her eyes and settled further down.

"Let's get this business over, James. I want lunch." James raised his eyebrows.

"You just had breakfast."

"But I'm curious, and that makes me hungry."

"_I'll_ say you're curious—" Lily hit him lightly with the heel of her palm. James laughingly raised his hands as if to ward her off. When he did so, the sleeves of his robes slipped back. Lily gasped, for there was an evil-looking black slash that began at the back of his left wrist and traveled far up his forearm. She grabbed his arm.

"Lily, what are you—"

"How did you get this?" she hissed, horrified. She bent over his arm and pushed back the black sleeve, following the slim slice all the way up to his elbow. There were several secondary scratches along the same line as well, as if he had brushed up against sharp thorns unevenly. Or had been clawed by something…

Lily picked up her head and looked at him with wide eyes, sitting up ramrod straight.

"James! This looks really painful! Why didn't you go to the Hospital Wing?"

"I…er…got it recently," he said lamely. The reason, of course, that the Marauders didn't go to the Hospital Wing after every full moon was because it would bode ill for Remus if Madam Pomfrey realized that his best friends were covered in scratches and bruises after each of his transformations. James and Sirius had been making a kind of poultice for everything—it kept slipping their minds to learn healing spells and it was more adventurous to wear scars of battle anyway (James knew it wasn't the best reason yet he and especially Sirius were vain about some things)—but they had been preoccupied on this moon. Peter couldn't manage to make it on his own and Sirius was not the best instructor; that role usually fell to James, who was the more patient of the two. Wormtail also did not get hurt as often as James or Sirius did since it was not up to him to control a full-grown werewolf. But here, in the Marauder's cave with Lily (for naturally James had found it while exploring with his friends), all of these excuses seemed feeble. She was staring up at him with those intense eyes and she looked angry.

"Recently? On one of your midnight adventures? Is that what you all do? Get hurt and slashed at by…by whatever did this? A monster?" James' breath caught in his throat. Everything about this was wrong. Lily had no idea what she was saying, she couldn't have, it had just taken them a little while to get Remus under control last time, just a little longer than usual. That was it. James knew more and more that what they were doing was very dangerous—he had been thinking about it since a few incidences last year—but the way Lily glared at him, like she was full of fire and he, James, was an offending log that she was about to fry, was too much.

"Lily, it was an accident. And no, it wasn't a…a monster. Just me being clumsy, that's all. It was me." Lily regarded him shrewdly for a few more minutes, eyes like lasers. She leaned back once more, still looking wary.

"I hope so. You should really get that looked at though. I don't want people thinking I did it." Lily had absolutely no idea what she was doing. She was privately trying to figure out why she had been so furious that James had let himself get hurt like that. It shouldn't bother her; people got scraped up all the time. Making a joke would help, would cover up for her fit of protectiveness…and James seemed keen to get past it as well.

"I'll just tell people that it was you, in one of your fits of red-headed temper."

"I appreciate that," replied Lily drolly. "So what do you want to know about me?"

"Whatever you want to say," said James promptly. Lily chuckled.

"I was born on July 6th in London," she began jokingly, but one look at James' face told her that he was actually listening. "You really want to hear all this?" Lily asked, amazed. James shrugged.

"Sure. Get to understand you more and all that."

"Well, er, okay." No date had ever asked her about her life story before. James got Lily to tell him that she had one older sister named Petunia, that she never really liked summer and wasn't too happy to be born then, the names of her parents and several other tidbits about her family life before Lily demanded some information out of him. He laughed and complied easily; Lily was fascinated by the idea of growing up with magic all around. The shadows from the cave's slim opening changed as Lily and James discovered similarities and differences (mostly differences) from their childhood. James was highly amused by the Muggle custom of dressing up for Halloween, and thrilled when Lily told him grudgingly that she had dressed up like a witch on her first Halloween.

They broke out the sandwiches at about twelve-thirty by James' watch.

"Stoat sandwiches!" cried James proudly while runting around the bag.

"Really?" asked Lily anxiously. One look at James' face told her he was lying as he emerged with two mince pies. He laughed and gave one over when she smacked him in the arm. James also pulled out two butterbeers. After lunch, Lily was surprised to find that James had brought various games with him and they played two games of wizard's chess (one went to Lily and one went to James, even though it was James' set) before James checked his watch one more time.

"Damn. We'd better be off." James stood up and began rolling up the blanket

"What time is it?" asked Lily, getting to her feet as well. She was a little sad that this day had to end.

"If we don't hurry we'll miss dinner."

"_What_?" Lily began stuffing things into the pack. James raised his eyebrows and chuckled, but wisely said nothing. They clambered out of the cave a little later, Lily squinting at the setting sun.

"Stupid light, I can't see a—"

"We're Apparating down. To the stile," pointed James.

"Wha—"

"You can Apparate, right Evans?" James smirked.

"Why you—"

_Crack_.

"Git."

_Crack_.

"Bloody hell!" Lily had landed exactly on top of James.

"Hah _hah_! she cried triumphantly before James got up with a great heave.

"Oomph." James helped her up in what would have been in a very polite way if not for the unconcealed grin on his face.

"Why didn't we just Apparate up?" she asked crossly, dusting off her robes.

"Because you didn't know where it was," James answered swiftly. "And last one to the castle is a rotten turnip."

"You—"

_Crack_.

_Crack._

There was a minor confrontation and a pause

"Again, woman!" cried James from underneath Lily's smug form. She got to her feet delicately and helped him up with a snicker of her own.

"I suppose we just think alike, Potter," Lily said loftily. James assumed an odd expression.

"Yeah. Really alike…" He was pondering just how Lily had managed to appear precisely on top of him when he was jabbed by a Secrecy Sensor.

"For the love of—"

"Nearly tardy, Potter," sneered Filch menacingly, the odious Mrs. Norris twining around his heels. James rolled his eyes. Several minutes later, both Lily and James were hurrying into the Entrance Hall.

"I guess this date is over," muttered James as he rubbed his neck.

"Not quite," said Lily with a twinkle. "We never got to the snog bit." James' eyes widened.

"Wh—" Lily turned around, grabbed him by the ears, and kissed him. This was how a sniggering Sirius, a highly amused Remus, and a gleeful Peter found them about two minutes later.

"Nice one Prongs." They broke apart and James adjusted his glasses disorientedly.

"Wha? Who?" Sirius laughed.

"Dinner's on, you idiots. And the girls have been wondering about you."

"About me?" asked James confusedly. Lily elbowed him in the gut before marching past the Marauders into the Great Hall, head held high and a pleased smile on her face.

**Okay, yes this is the cave that Sirius hid in during GoF. It's not made up. Dumbledore will find out about it later and then suggest it to Sirius as a hiding place, just in case anyone wanted to call me on this one. Hah ;) And I hope no one's mad at me for this one, it was a weird chapter, more about it in later chapters**

**(donkeykong27)**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS AND REVIEWED**


	24. Afterwards

That night was fabulous. Both Lily and James grinned like cats stuffed with canaries while their friends (Lily's, mostly) probed for information. Emmeline was particularly apt to do this, mentioning this or that over her mutton chops or wondering about such and such around her creamed corn. Lily was jealous of James because Sirius and the Marauders just waited with secret smiles, knowing that James would probably give up every detail later and then moon over it for days. At one point, Marlene and Emmeline got so sneaky that Lily loudly inquired just how Dorcas' date went, Dorcas who had hardly spoke a word since Lily saw her. Breaking out of a starry-eyed grin, it looked as if this was just what Dorcas had been waiting for. Her praised descriptions of Fabian and life in general carried all of them through dessert. Together the Gryffindors returned to their tower with Lily and James holding hands. Lily was telling Marlene to the side more about the date when Sirius came up behind them.

"I can't believe you took her to that _cave_ Prongs. With bats? And mold?"

"That's all rubbish," said Remus impatiently. "You just don't like it, Padfoot, because you always get lost on the way there."

"And for what Prongs?" asked Sirius, ignoring Remus and James' snickers, "So you could do things you could do in the common room? That's you though. Just _had_ to be different—"

"I didn't mind," interrupted Lily. "_Hinkypunk_." They entered the portrait hole, Sirus and James still bickering.

"And you lost with your own chess set? I'm ashamed of you. All of that practice—"

"It's really _your_ set, Padfoot, so what are you gassing about?"

"It's hardly _my_ set. My mother just had gave it to me so I could be well-rounded. Not wanting to submit to anything she said, I naturally gave it away as soon as I could while assuming it was hexed. It made a good gift to you in first year, as I remember."

"Yeah. You forgot to buy everyone Christmas gifts," interjected James.

"Your point being?" They chuckled.

"That's why it's not bog-standard," James added with a wink. "Sirius' mum got it engraved with the crest and all. Made it up real evil-like just for her ickle firstborn—" James was interrupted by Sirius' fist.

"I was wondering why my queen had little horns on her," mused Lily with a small grin. Sirius glowered although his temper was not behind it.

"It's like you've met the woman," he muttered.

"Anyone up for Exploding Snap?" asked Peter hopefully.

"Homework," pointed out Remus. "Two rolls in Transfiguration." Dorcas' eyes bulged.

"Due tomorrow?" she squeaked loudly, looking around for some kind of denial. Remus nodded his head ruefully.

"Forgot about our studies in the excitement, did we Dorcas?" laughed Emmeline.

"Thanks a bunch, Emmy. I'll be right back," Dorcas went towards the girls' stairs.

"Get my parchment too!" called Marlene and Lily in unison. They looked at each other and smiled.

"Everyone's a bit preoccupied, eh Moony?" asked Sirius loudly. Remus raised his eyebrow.

"It seems that way."

"Hey, d'you think anyone would notice if we all just copied your parchment and signed out own names on the top?"

"Padfoot…"

…

Patrols that night hit a new peak. Lily not only enjoyed herself but caught a first-year Slytherin trying to sneak into a classroom. _They get bolder as they get used to school,_ she thought as she shooed away the slinking eleven-year-old. She was forced to stop James from gleefully taking away fifty points. Everything was flawless until Lily laid herself down to sleep late that evening and thoughts about the stranger moments of that date began to sneak into her head.

James Potter was never clumsy. He was many other things, but never that. For all that she professed to have ignored him for the past six years, Lily had seen him pull out of a thirty foot dive and put the Quaffle past a Keeper. That scratch was definitely from something he didn't want to tell her about, and probably a clue to where he went every so often—

_Wait_, she thought suddenly. _If I figure this out, we'll be at it all over again. If I try to think it through, I'll be trespassing on our agreement._

_Well it wasn't really an agreement, it was more of an argument that we resolved…_

_But _he'd_ see it as a betrayal. Do I really want to endanger what we have? What I just got today? Whatever happy time I may—no._ Lily thought of the Longbottoms, of Joey Jenkins, of all those people who suffered and whose happiness was cut short. _I'll leave it alone. I'll let it rest._

_Unless something dangerous happens._

_Fine. Unless something dangerous happens._

With that, Lily rolled over on her pillow and slept.

…

Lily received her first letter from home on Tuesday. A school's barn owl swooped over Lily's kippers and dropped a neat white envelope addressed in her mother's spiky handwriting. Lily tore open the seal interestedly while James looked over her shoulder.

_Dear Lily,_

_ Hello, love! How are you? Doing well? Your father and I can only assumed that because you haven't written home yet._

"Damn," said Lily, guilt creeping up on her. She usually wrote her parents sometime in the first week but this year she had forgotten. Across from her, Sirius swallowed his sausage and said,

"What? Your sister finally been put away?" Lily shot him an amused look. Sirius had been very interested in Lily's description of her older sibling and they had developed a sort of kinship about their family lives.

James snorted impatiently.

"No Padfoot, now stop interrupting. I'm trying to read this over her shoulder." Lily ignored the both of them and looked down at her letter again.

_ Are your classes going well? You're a bright girl Lily, and good luck with your studies._

'That's all my mum's writing. Mum writes the letters and Dad hardly gets a say in what goes in them. His writing's even worse than hers, so I always need to wait and see if he finally gets a word in edgewise. The more sarcastic bits will probably be his."

"Er…that's interesting," remarked James, wondering about the man whose sense of humor seemed like so much of Lily's.

"My father is an interesting man. Now hush and let me finish."

_We have wonderful news, honey, and I don't want you to say one bad word about it. Not to Petunia at least. Your sister and Vernon Dursley are engaged. They've planned a summer wedding for this year, and you should try to nice about it. Your sister means well, but you know how she feels about you. Your father and I are trying to make sure that you have a place in the wedding party. Write if you want more details, dear._

_ Nothing much has changed at home. We'd just like to make sure you haven't forgotten us. Hopefully you've been overwhelmed by your friends and fun at your last year. I must say, I won't miss this tricky owl post system though. Write soon love, as if I haven't stressed it enough._

_ Love and Kisses,_

_ Mum and Dad._

Lily groaned. "That's awful." She stowed the letter in her schoolbag and buried her head in her hands.

"What is it, Lily?" asked Marlene.

"Petty's marrying that sod from down the lane." All of the girls snorted while the boys looked interested. Emmeline laughed aloud.

"The fat bloke?"

Lily nodded glumly, reaching for an especially gooey sticky bun to make herself feel better. She had known it was going to happen eventually, but this summer? Ugh. The thought was repulsive that Lily would soon be related to that blustering worm.

Marlene looked extremely apprehensive, even though she still bravely plugged ahead with trying to be nice.

"You mean Vernon, Lily?"

"Yes, Marley. The Prickish Drip from Privet Drive." Even Marlene couldn't continue and broke up into a smile. Ever since Petunia had first brought home Vernon Dursley three years prior, Lily had spend a lot of energy making up vicious and childish names for him.

"What's so bad about him?" asked James while taking a piece of bacon off Lily's plate. Lily frowned.

"He's a nuisance and he thinks too much of himself and he's boring and he's loud and did I mention that he takes up half the table _himself_?"

"So you wouldn't like me if I was fat?" grinned James wickedly, kissing her on the cheek. Lily scowled.

"He's a turd. I suppose his only redeemable quality is that Petunia seems to fancy him a lot."

"Then it's settled," said Sirius importantly. "You'll have to go to Prongs' for Christmas. You and I can split the pudding." Lily's expression flickered, froze and finally fractured into a slow smile.

"I guess I will." The news suddenly didn't seem so bad, or even really that important. She reached for another sticky bun.

**School started with a real bang and now I'm stuffed with homework. I'm trying to keep at this as consistently as I can. Er…that's it.**

**First of all, this will definitely continue to the end even if it has to crawl along because I am determined to finish it and read it all myself. My story has exceeded a hundred pages on my document, by the way, and now I'm shooting for two hundred. I figured the injury was necessary and will probably come up in the future. I think I'll mention what Remus thinks about it too because he'll feel terrible. Dunno though, and I don't usually read stories where anyone but Remus is hurt either.**

**(Mirax Myra Terrik)**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS AND REVIEWED**


	25. Trials

On Wednesday evening, Lily and her two friends trouped down to the Quidditch pitch where James was holding the team trials. They found seats in the stands with Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Emmeline was a red figure on the field today; she actually was going to try out for the team, though Lily didn't quite know as what.

"You're his best mates, why don't you ever play?" Dorcas was saying to the Marauders. Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"Because Moony gets motion sickness when he's not—er, on the ground, and Peter is no good, and I am—"

"Too arrogant to put yourself out in front of everyone just on the off chance that you might make an arse of yourself," finished Remus. Sirius shrugged but not too belligerently.

"For whatever reasons, suffice to say that we don't. Your friend is trying out though, why don't you cheer her on and not ask questions?" Dorcas smiled peaceably.

"I'll do that, Black," she answered, and settled deeper into her cloak.

The breeze was cooling the dusky air as James and a large crowd of students of all ages climbed onto the pitch. James seemed to take stock of everyone. He was saying something (the wind whipped away his words) and several students left the field and clambered into the stands. Lily looked over and saw that the group comprised of people that weren't even _in_ Gryffindor, including a very pretty Hufflepuff seventh year named Greta Catchlove that had made eyes at James before. Lily scowled.

"They're starting," nudged Dorcas to Lily.

First, groups flew around the hoops. The stands took on a sizeable number of occupants before a much-dwindled set began basic exercises. It was at this point that James took to the air.

Lily had avoided Quidditch trials since fourth year because of James' interest in her, but she could hardly remember being so in awe of them when she was younger. She had come first and second and third year because she was so taken by the novelty of a wizarding, flying sport. Now she was taken aback by the new novelty of James' flying, because he really was brilliant.

Not having gone to many Gryffindor matches for fear of him, Lily saw just how well her new boyfriend flew. He seemed infinitely comfortable in the air on his top-ranked Comet broomstick and he weaved effortlessly over the other players. His reflexes were astonishing and Lily caught herself sucking in air sharply when it looked—several times—like he would crash into the goal posts or other people. This didn't happen, and he was only hit with a Bludger once, even after the beaters' practice. Lily forgot about watching Emmeline and left that up to Dorcas, who would gasp every so often and explain to Marlene what was happening (Marlene was hopeless at sports).

It ended deep in the midst of a green-blue twilight, but James was an effective captain and had systematically rooted out the best players for the team. Lily and the rest trudged down to the pitch, Lily greeting James with a warm kiss.

He was breathless and delighted, perhaps a little maniacally, and immediately began explaining what just happened.

"I really think we've got another chance that the Cup again, though half these people came out of the blue. We'll manage to crush Hufflepuff and definitely put up a good fight with Ravenclaw—"

"—as long as Emmeline doesn't lose her head," interrupted Dorcas loudly. Lily looked over James' shoulder, surprised: Emmeline was packing away the Quaffle with rosy cheeks and a pleased smile.

James looked for a moment worried (Lily thought it was funny how James could take jokes about almost anything but Quidditch) but he smoothed it over.

"No, no, she's actually an excellent flyer. Should have tried out years ago, and she's said—"

"I'm only kidding," said Dorcas gently, moving over to hug Emmeline tightly. "Nice one, Emmy."

"Yes," said Emmeline happily. "I think so. I just hope I don't botch up this Keeper business…"

"Keeper?" asked Lily, confused since she hadn't been paying much attention. "Aren't you a little…er, aggressive for Keeper?"

"She couldn't _bear_ to play directly against Caradoc, right Emmeline?" Dorcas asked slyly.

"And she can be damn aggressive at Keeper," added James animatedly. "You didn't see her dive in front of the Quaffle? I have to say, Emmeline, when you don't catch the thing you still don't let it get past—"

"She never had good hand-eye coordination unless it came to magic," said Dorcas critically. "And there'll be plenty of bruises if you keep blocking it with your body—"

Emmeline made a derisive noise.

"It gets blocked, doesn't it?" she said. "Besides, James or Chittock or Cresswell ought to be there anyway—"

"So who's on the team this year?" questioned Remus loudly, heading off a quarrel. Lily squinted around; no one else was left on the field but the seventh year Gryffindors. James ticked names off his fingers.

"From last year we've got me, Dirk Cresswell, Mallory Twiddle, and Warty Harris. Emmeline and Glenda Chittock are new, along with our Seeker Otto Bagman. Cresswell's got fantastic aim and Glenda's got speed—she's good for a third year—and of course Twiddle and Harris are practically made for beating things with sticks. Harris took three Bludgers to the head in one game last year, didn't bat an eye and kept playing. Course he wasn't much with smarts to begin with, but damn good Beater… and Otto's clever with his hands, I saw him nab the Snitch while practically looking the other way… We'll need to work on formations of course, and a few trials at diving maybe… but that should—"

"I'm sure your Quidditch schemes for this year are very interesting James, but it's getting cold and we have essays," interrupted Lily gently, taking him by the arm. He absently allowed her to lead him into the castle, Sirius sniggering all the while as the Gryffindors wandered through the growing night.

"Right right…but Glenda's got that speed…we can work it in—"

James was absorbed in his Quidditch thoughts all evening until patrols, when it was hard to be absorbed in anything but Lily and himself.

The next few weeks were like discovering magic all over again. Lily and James talked, laughed, learned, ate, drank, and lived to each other. They became closer than either of them thought possible. Their friends sat together everyday and Lily would often do her homework in her favorite spot (in front of the Gryffindor fireplace) in her favorite position (nested in James' arms). September progressed into early October with nary a blip on James or Lily's radar for truly, they were too busy falling in love.

Many Slug Club dinners and patrol sessions and Quidditch practices later, middle October rolled around and James took Lily aside one day after Transfiguration.

"Sprout will _kill_ me if I'm late again, James. C'mon, we'll do this later—"

"Lily," said James, and he looked serious. Lily sobered up and waved Marlene on, signaling she'd be along in a minute. "I have to miss patrols tonight."

"Is this about Quidditch?" she asked suspiciously.

"No, no. It's that… thing I have to do sometimes—"

"_Have_ to do?"

"Lily, we've been over this," said James desperately. "Please. I need to—" Lily sighed.

"I'm not saying a word James. Just be careful." James' uneasy face broke into a huge grin.

"Thanks Lily. And you know me, would I be anything _but_ careful?"

Lily laughed and pushed him playfully.

"We all know the answer to _that_ one, James," she said, dispelling the queasy feeling she had about his midnight adventures. "Always." James grinned even more broadly and pulled her into his arms, kissing her on the lips.

"You're great, do you know that?" he whispered, staring into her eyes. She smiled back and James felt her happiness like the sunshine on his face.

"It's nice to be reminded, yes."

"Well," said James, leaning close once more, "I'll just need to—"

"Enjoying yourself, Potter?" came a nasty tone from somewhere to Lily's left. James picked his head up swiftly and had his wand out and Lily half behind him before she could say 'reflexive'.

Snape, Rosier, Travers, and a boy that was not immediately recognizable to Lily stood sneering in the corridor.

"We've got a gang today, Potter," continued Snape softly, "and who would notice if the wonderful James Potter didn't go to his last class slot? Especially since we know it's a free today, why, no one would find you until maybe after dinner, and then only if they searched well…"

"Get out of here, Snivellus," said James in a cold voice of disdain. "You brought _this_ with you just to threaten me? Not man enough to do it yourself?"

"Man enough?" hissed Snape with something like hatred in his voice. "What about you and yours, Potter? It was never a fight unless it was four on one—"

"Are you here to prove that now, Snape? With your four? We can have at it right here—"

"And it won't be four on one either," said the sharp voice of Sirius Black. He and Remus stepped out of a tapestry, wands outdrawn, looking just as stern and blasé as James. They took places on either side of him, Sirius standing carefully in front of Lily, who removed her wand from her robe carefully.

"Ah," whistled Rosier, a manic light in his dark eyes. "Excellent. But where's the other pillock?"

"Nevermind about Peter," said Remus in a voice that Lily had never heard him use before. "We're suggesting that you take yourselves out of this hall, or—"

"Or what?" said Snape in a pitch that was rising to a howl. "You'll—"

"Regulus, you stupid bastard," said Sirius in a contemptible voice, effectively undermining and insulting Snape by cutting him off and so turning the attention to the fourth boy. "What are you doing with this scum?"

"They're my friends, Sirius. I have as much right to my friends as you do to yours." The boy sounded as if he didn't think too much of Sirius' decisions. Lily looked more closely at the fourth Slytherin. There was now no denying the extreme resemblance to Sirius. His hair was coarser and he had dark eyes instead of grey. The aristocratic nose and cheekbones hardened heavily in his visage, but the two had the same pearly skin and the same devil-may-care faces. Regulus was almost as tall as his brother, and yet Sirius radiated an air of danger and disregard that Regulus did not match.

"Your brother's made the right choices, Black," said Travers quietly, stepping forward for the first time. "We can't say the same for you, blood traitor."

"What would you know about it, Travers?" sneered Sirius icily. Lily shivered: between Sirius and James and Remus she was extremely glad that the Marauders were on her side. "You've got no stake in it, you're not a pureblood. But I guess you haven't mentioned that to the other members of this little Voldemort club, have you now?"

All four of the Slytherins winced at the name.

"How dare you so casually use the Dark Lord's name, Black!" said Rosier, tightening his grip on his wand. "You will all pay for—"

"Something happening here, gentlemen?" Professor McGonagall peered sternly out her classroom door down at the group of students. "And Miss Evans? Aren't there classes still, or was there an announcement that I missed?"

Rosier scowled and Snape looked livid. Travers simply returned his wand to his pocket although his face was unreadable and deathly still.

"Move along," she said curtly, before shutting the door smartly.

"We'll see you later, Potter," snarled Snape.

"Not if I can help it, Snivellus," remarked James frostily. "Wouldn't want to catch sight of your face more than I had to."

"You won't need to in a few—" Rosier stopped as Travers stepped deliberately on his foot. Rosier was still quite angry, but eventually turned towards the stairs. Just before leaving, he turned and said venomously,

"And I'll be seeing you again, Evans." Sirius and Remus grabbed the back of James' robes. Rosier stomped down the steps, satisfied.

"What was that all about?" asked Lily, trying to keep her voice level.

"Lucky we waited around for you, Prongs," said Sirius nonchalantly. No one looked at Lily; instead, they were still staring after the Slytherins.

"They never would have done that before," Remus said quietly. "Never. Snape is working up his nerve, isn't he? And Rosier and Travers are more psychotic than ever. We'll need to do something about this."

"I'll take care of Regulus," said Sirius in a hard voice.

"Lily," said James, turning suddenly to face her with blazing hazel eyes. "Let's you skive off Herbology."

"James, I can't. I really need to—"

"Lily, you can miss this. We're spending the entire rest of the class time together. And tonight, you're taking someone with you to patrol."

"She knows you're not going with her tonight?" asked Remus swiftly.

"She's okay with it, aren't you Lily?" said James. Lily nodded.

"As long as you don't get hurt again, James."

"You were hurt last time?" Remus looked sad. "Why didn't you tell—"

"It's not important, Moony. And today, where the hell was Peter?"

"He took right off to the common room. Said he had Astronomy work to do," reported Sirius. James raked his hand through his hair.

"Fine, but make sure he knows he can't be alone. They mentioned him."

"Will do."

"Come on Lily," said James, putting a protective arm around her. "We're going to the lake and I'm treating you to butterbeer in the common room after dinner."

"But James, where will you get—"

"Doesn't matter," said James, and he abruptly turned to Sirius and Remus.

"Will you two be alright?"

"Aren't we always?" asked Sirius dryly. "Go snog your girlfriend, mate. Moony and I are plenty able to handle things here."

"Good." James led Lily down the stairs and outside. A strong wind whipped at her hair. Lily was confused; he was very tense now.

"James what is going on?"

"You and me, that's what." He suddenly turned to her and kissed her fiercely, probing her mouth as fire spread down her body. Lily didn't think of anything else until later that night, when she was patrolling alongside Marlene. They encountered only the Bloody Baron and a whispering wind along the second floor.

**A possible pattern of things to come…**

**I just want to clarify things. No one can Apparate on Hogwarts grounds, but they Apparated thus: mountains to Hogsmeade, Hogsmeade to Hogwarts border, where Filch would be waiting since they were late returners. **

**I AM NEVER SICK OF REVIEWS!**

**(sirius black and remy) (Redsoxfan90210)**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS AND REVIEWED**


	26. Revealing Moments

Patrols were different without James. Lily laughed less and that special tingle that she had whenever James was near was gone. On the plus, she and Marlene had a load of time to spend in serious—and not so serious—discussion, ranging from possible plots of the Dark Lord's plans (there had been attacks on two more Hogwarts families: from Slytherin and Hufflepuff) to a heated debate about the best flavor of Bertie Bott's beans (Marlene was for marshmallow while Lily protested rum punch). Lily dearly enjoyed her girl-time with her best friend because Lily truly was not that close with all of her girlfriends and wished that she was closer. Lily had always scored on popularity, yet that popularity was far-ranging rather than deep-rooted. Letting Marlene coax her into admitting that yes, she did at one point admire Frank Longbottom, was a fine way to spend her evenings in lieu of James' very masculine diversions.

It occurred to Lily that she had business left unfinished. Sirius, James, and Peter were all awake during classes after their "outing" this time—as much as could be expected, anyway—although there was a worn-down excitement charging their actions. No one was so worn down, however, as Remus. He attended everything with a haggard smile or a pinched shuffle. The other boys ministered to Remus—which would normally be considered odd—and this big brother attitude gave Lily a chance to fulfill her plan. After Charms one day, as James was escorting Remus down the stairs, Lily tapped Sirius on the shoulder.

"Can I have a word? It will only be a minute."

He looked over, surprised out of his fatigue, and nodded. Lily pulled Sirius into an empty classroom and shut the door. Desks were piled against the walls and Lily kicked an upturned wastebasket aside. She faced Sirius and he grinned cheekily.

"You know what this will look like, don't you, Lily?"

"Shut up, Sirius," she said playfully, even though she was quickly reminded of why she had dragged him here. Lily took a deep breath and cut to the chase.

"Look, I know that you and James and Remus and Peter go out, at night, for the entire night, every so often. Apparently, this is going to keep happening whether I want it to or not, and I'll accept it. Can you just promise me, whatever this is, that it doesn't involve anything with Voldemort?"

Sirius must have been too tired to either be offended or make a joke, although one eyebrow did briefly salute in surprise. He simply shook his head.

"What we're doing has nothing with that." Lily breathed relief and smiled.

"Good. And here's the other thing…"

"There's more?"

Lily ignored him.

"I know that you three and James are close. Especially you, Sirius. I'm finding that out more and more. I don't want my dating him to get in the way of it. I mean it. If you ever think that I'm the reason there's any trouble, or any arguments, tell me. You've got to. I saw James' arm, Sirius, and whatever you're up to, James obviously needs you. I don't want to be a bother at all. Okay?"

He stared at her as if seeing the redhead for the first time. Lily must have been perfectly serious, and she obviously had no idea what she was trying to do. No other girl in the long history of the Marauders had ever, ever said something like that. No one else would have meant it. In Sirius' usual experience, girls were simply in the way at times like these. They never understood what had to be done every full moon, and they never made comments like _that_. James was right: Lily really was amazing. And Sirius said so.

"You're amazing, Lily."

"What?"

"I said you're amazing."

"Now look who's getting into a compromising position," Lily teased, but her eyes were still questioning. Since taking up only a few patrols with Marlene, Lily was remembering the value of friendship. She privately admired the close bonds of the Marauders; they were alien to her, out of her realm of experience, and sometimes she was green with jealousy. Lily was committed to keeping them together and not starting problems, if only so she could spend time around such companionship.

Sirius broke into wide smile.

"Wait'll I tell Prongs."

"You don't have to do that," said Lily hurriedly. She didn't want to seem heroic. "I'm not playing the martyr, Sirius."

"You're most certainly not." He was still grinning like a fool.

"And er…that's all I wanted to say."

"Good." Sirius opened the door for her and Lily went first, pleased that he had taken it rather well.

"Tsk, tsk, Black. Evans. I thought you were better than all that."

"Shut up, Rosier, or I'll feed you to the squid." Sirius casually shoved past the glowering Slytherin loafing against the wall. Lily floated haughtily after him, not saying a word. Sirius was still cheerful; the last night of the full moon ahead of him and an enlightening conversation behind. Even Evan Rosier wouldn't ruin his mood today.

"She _said_ that?" asked a startled James, wide-eyed, as he and Sirius and Peter slogged along back to the castle. The early grey of dawn colored the very edge of the starless sky. Peter was yawning mightily, nearly asleep as he walked. Sirius was telling James what had gone on earlier that day.

"Sure as shit she did. And I'm not supposed to have said anything, so don't open your trap tomorrow, Prongs."

"But…but that's _weird_," said James, stuffing his hand through his hair. He didn't know that Lily would have thought this over so carefully.

"What, you talking?"

"Padfoot, be quiet. I've got to think about this."

"What's to think about?" shrugged Sirius as they neared the castle stairs. "You've got a nice bird that finally understands what we're about."

"Yeah," said James. His bewildered face was the last bit that Sirius saw of him before James vanished under his Cloak to scout the Entrance Hall. "Yeah…I guess I do…"

Near the end of October, everything cleared up and James joined Lily on patrols again. Marlene went along once—after a grueling meeting of the Slug Club, involving Slughorn's careful probings of the terms of Lily and James' relationship—but she thought the better of it afterwards. Lily decided to try and keep up her involvement with Marlene at other times, for even though it was nice to have James back, Lily did not want to offend or distance her best friend.

Meanwhile, things were taking a new turn. Having apparently recovered from whatever happened at nighttime meetings, James and Sirius threw themselves headfirst into planning Remus' birthday celebration, which was all they would talk about during mealtimes. Remus' birthday was on October 30th; he was the oldest of the four. Lily guessed that this conversation existed chiefly to embarrass and goad Remus, who rolled his eyes every time Sirius suggested something along the lines of grabbing a veela or two for the Gryffindor dormitories. Peter would occasionally add ideas of his own but he mostly observed James and Sirius in all their mischief-making glory.

"They don't shut up, do they?" asked a tired Emmeline over breakfast, gesturing to James and Sirius with her spoon. Small lumps of porridge fell on the table, but Emmeline didn't notice. Work was piling up for the seventh-year N.E.W.T.s students and Quidditch practices were taking a toll on her.

"…and we'll hang Snivellus from the top of the common room and enchant him to sing 'Happy Birthday' whenever you go by," finished James, concluding a long, exaggerated plan that had been growing since the Gryffindors sat down to eat.

"Oh yes. It'd be wonderful if I saw Snape each time I enter Gryffindor tower," agreed Remus dryly, stirring his own porridge.

"Snivellus probably has a terrible singing voice anyway," shrugged Sirius. "But if you don't like that plan, Moony, we can always go with the one I suggested this morning, about—"

"Not another word," snapped Remus, unusually out of temper. "We've got Defense Against the Dark Arts next?"

"Yes," answered Marlene amiably. Remus merely nodded and dove back into his food. Marlene looked away.

"Oh."

Lily wondered what could be happening here, what plan would make Remus so upset. Was this connected to one of those midnight meetings? Or something else. The answer soon came after lunch that day.

Sirius had been joking with Remus all during meals. He would constantly be about to say something, and it would be about a person, before Remus interrupted and told him to close his face. Sirius laughed and would do it again in about two minutes. James just smiled; he was obviously in the know as well. After lunch was Ancient Runes, which the Marauders had and Lily didn't. Remus moved to leave the Hall and Sirius stood up as well. Remus sighed and let the other boy follow him. They looked as though a tough discussion was imminent.

This was her chance. Lily made sure that Emmeline was talking about Quidditch with James before she kissed him goodbye and hurried out of the Great Hall. She skidded to a halt and saw Remus and Sirius wandering a-ways down the corridor. Lily snuck along quietly, intending to hear what they were saying.

"—ask her out before the year ends?" Sirius was asking.

"I think she hates me."

"She doesn't, I checked."

"What?" Remus looked horrified. "When?"

"That one time in Potions," said Sirius smugly. Remus groaned.

"How did you manage to do that in ten minutes? She's known? Since _then_? Padfoot, you idiot, I—" They began climbing the stairs. Lily didn't hear any more because her feet simply stopped moving as everything clicked into place. _Of course_… Remus and Marlene. It had to be. Lily laughed out loud.

_That_ was why Marlene was so touchy when the girls had asked her about liking Sirius because although it wasn't true, he had undoubtedly brought up Remus. Being considerably involved in other things, Lily realized that she hadn't brought up James' best friend to Marlene in a while. Marlene _had_ been hiding something though, because Sirius must've suggested the idea of her and one of his best friends. That meant that Sirius had been playing matchmaker all along, inviting Marlene to Hogsmeade and such. Lily would bet her last Galleon that Sirius had probably done everything in his power to coax them together that day and that the idea probably scared the stuffing out of Marlene. And Remus was nervous that day as well. And James _must_ have known, because he was not doing much to stop Sirius either. Peter no doubt knew as well, but he would not have interfered with Sirius' personal schemes. Hah. Lily smiled again. Remus would be just the thing that Marlene needed, why, the idea excited Lily.

They would certainly be cute if Remus ever got up his nerve to go through with it. Lily wondered about that: many girls had liked Remus before (many girls had liked all of the Marauders at one time or another) but he had never had a steady girlfriend. Why? Was—

"Hey Lily!" Marlene ran up to her, holding out her schoolbooks.

"You forgot these. And Herbology's over that way, why are you—"

"So Marlene, notice anything strange about Remus today?" asked Lily loudly, taking her books. Inside she jumped with glee, for there was definitely a flicker in Marlene's expression.

"Er…just that he seemed annoyed about Sirius and James. Why do you ask me?" replied Marlene casually. _Too casually_.

Lily shrugged and smiled widely. Maybe this was a good time to join forces with Sirius and James.

"Oh nothing. Thanks for my books, I'd lose my shoes if they weren't fastened." Marlene still looked slightly suspicious. Lily added,

"So what did you get for the homework? I put down bouncing bulbs for the second question."

"Really? Me too," said Marlene quickly, relieved. "Yes, um, I thought that one was a bit unfair though, because of the part before it where Sprout told us to compare fluxweeds…" Marlene rattled on animatedly. Lily let her voice wash over her as a plan formed in her head. Or a semblance of a plan. At the very least, an alliance. _Yes, an alliance indeed…_

**Okay, very long chapter. Mostly a lot of my little ones patched up together. It starts running with some subplots now, and the beginning is all "why James should love Lily" and that.**

**And I thought this would be a good time to address what's probably obvious by now: I don't like Peter. In my other story, I parody people that just stuff him in there as this useless lump of an eating machine. That's kind of how I feel about him, so every now and then I just add in a little _poke_ at his expense. Besides his Benedict-Arnold qualities, he's not very personally interesting anyway. If I get too involved in this, though, someone stop me. Thanks ;)**

**I'm definitely taking the story through seventh year because that's what I said. I'd like to continue at least a little ways into their later years, and maybe up to their deaths, but I'd have to see what the public outcry is on that subject.**

**Lily is doing her best not to care about James missing patrols, although if you toss what happened in this chapter into the mix, that will get even harder. I tried to make a non-physical confrontation nonetheless painful, and not screw it up like I've seen happen in other tales (James gets tortured by the Cruciatus Curse in the middle of the dungeons? I don't think so). I have the impression that James is very protective of the ones he "loves"and I'm writing him that way.**

**And Remus is a very good judge of character and what is happening around him. Except when it comes to Marlene that is… ;P**

**(redsoxfan90210) (Mirax Myra Terrik)**

**To new readers and reviewers: Thanks for reading and spread the story!**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS AND REVIEWED**


	27. Quidditch

Gryffindor's first Quidditch match took place on the first, wonderful Saturday in November. Lily was surprised that James wasn't still reeling from Remus' celebration, which was an all-out bonanza. Good in almost every way, the only issue that Lily had seen was that after wishing Remus a hurried "Happy Birthday," Marlene had slunk red-faced into a corner of the common room and talked to Lily distractedly the entire evening. The same happened on the evening of the magnificent Halloween feast. But on the brisk morning of the match, Lily was hoping things would change as she angled herself so that Marlene would hopefully get a seat next to Remus. Lily hadn't told Dorcas about Marlene's secret yet, for Dorcas was back to a renewed frenzy of letter-writing. The girls entered the stands together though, chatting and laughing as the breeze bristled their hair. It was a fine day.

The Marauders were already in their places and Lily was disappointed to see that Remus was in the center of Sirius and Peter. Lily took her seat next to Sirius. Peter said hello and excitedly launched into his predictions for the match, how many goals James might score, how the Slytherins had planned to get past James, how James might pull off new moves today, etcetera etcetera. Sirius rolled his eyes. It was Emmeline who had sometimes said that the wrong person was dating James Potter, but she was in the locker room now after an uncharacteristically fidgety breakfast.

Peter did bring out a good point though. The Gryffindors started off by playing the Slytherins, Lily had forgotten. Last year, Rosier had been on the Quidditch team. She wondered what would happen this year.

Finally the teams strode on the field. The sun was bright but hidden behind greyish clouds. Everything seemed sharply in focus as Lily's stomach fluttered with butterflies for James and Emmeline.

The Gryffindors looked good this year. James was a stellar captain and he had an eye for talent. From Emmeline, Lily knew how much the Chasers had rehearsed. From James, she had heard about the rest of the team in great detail. She crossed her fingers for the Gryffindors as the green-robed figures took up their brooms.

The Slytherin captain for this year looked to be Davy Gudgeon, a burly yet sharp-eyed seventh year who was usually quiet, except on the pitch. Lily knew from James that Gudgeon's usual strategy as a Chaser was to charge the Keeper and use force and speed. Next to Lily, Marlene was already clutching the fringes of her scarf in fear for Emmeline. The only recognizable female Slytherin was Gladys Gudgeon, a shrimpy, mousy sixth year who was self-seeking but not quite as evil as some others from her house. No relation to Davy. No sign of Rosier. Lily didn't have time to make out the other Slytherin faces because James and Davy shook hands and were on their brooms in a flash. The games began.

"And it's a lovely day on the pitch now, ooh here goes the Gryffindors, Cresswell in possession." Mafalda Hopkirk, with a small crimson rosette on her blue Ravenclaw scarf, was doing the commentary.

"Gryffindor has excellent form this year, Cresswell to Potter, Potter to Chittock, Chittock flies—oh, narrowly misses a Bludger! Croaker's, I think. There goes the Quaffle—ah, Potter recovers the Quaffle. Potter dives—_that's a Bludger!_—the Bludger misses, _Potter scores_! Ten-nothing Gryffindor!"

The scarlet fans cheered happily, looking forward to another good match. Lily had nearly bitten through her lip as the Bludger pelted at James' head but she roared along with the rest of them as Dirk Cresswell scored next, bringing the Gryffindors to an early lead.

"Slytherin in possession and it's Davy Gudgeon with the Quaffle. He swerves, he—_what!_" Davy Gudgeon had just rammed Glenda Chittock, sending her careening off into the air while holding on for dear life. Madam Hooch flew over with a dangerous glare.

"Penalty to Gryffindor!" continued Mafalda. "Excellent! And Potter takes the Quaffle, flies at Wilkes, Wilkes dives, misses—Thirty points for Gryffindor!

"There appears be some activity with Seekers Bagman and Gladys Gudgeon, has Gudgeon seen the Snitch—? No, no, a feint. Meanwhile, Rufford of Slytherin in possession. Rufford passes to Davy Gudgeon who misses Harris' Bludger. Gudgeon shoots—deflected! New Gryffindor Keeper Vance diverts the Quaffle, picked up by Potter—no surprise, really—and Potter takes it downfield. There's Croaker, Potter dodges and yes, it's forty-nothing!"

In a few moments, Gryffindor was up by fifty. Then sixty. Lily cheered herself hoarse while Sirius laughed at her enthusiasm. But Lily didn't care; she hadn't been able to cheer all these years and she wasn't going to deny herself now…Lily had been an avid football fan at home and her father had taken her to the local games. Quidditch was even more exciting if one wasn't a diehard hooligan—

"Oh gracious, is that allowed?" boomed Mafalda Hopkirk worriedly.

"What happened?" cried Lily, who had been watching James zig-zag through the Slytherins.

"That slick git Croaker hit Emmeline with a Bludger. Caught her dead in the stomach while the Quaffle wasn't even in range—Slytherins get nasty when they aren't scoring goals," replied Sirius grimly, looking the field with concentration.

"And Davy Gudgeon scores," half-muttered Mafalda with considerable distaste. "I suppose Madam Hooch will have to allow it but there's still a Gryffindor penalty. Taken by Chittock and since Wilkes goes completely off—yes, the score is seventy to ten."

"WHAT? They don't deserve the ten, those cheating, stinking—" That was Dorcas, Lily knew, and Lily agreed heartily. Emmeline was rubbing her stomach with her hand and she was wincing. Nonetheless, Emmeline stayed in front of the goals. James flew over to her with a look of concern but Emmeline waved her hand and James was off once more, the games continuing.

"It's Rufford with the Quaffle. Rufford goes down from a dive, rushes the Keeper but he is _stopped_! It was Bludger from Twiddle that did it and there's the other Bludger from Harris. The Gryffindor Beaters are warming to there work here—Davy doesn't seem to pleased—"

It wasn't a dirty game as far as Hogwarts went, yet Lily couldn't help but cringe whenever the Bludger or a large Slytherin came too near to Emmeline or James. The match was exciting, but she was still glad when Otto Bagman caught the Snitch at the score of ninety to twenty. Lily hurried down to the pitch with Marlene, Dorcas, Sirius, Remus, and Peter in tow. The Gryffindor team was congratulating each other and had broken up moments before for individual kudos.

Caradoc Dearborn was already there, holding a laughing Emmeline tightly, who was very pleased about the game on a whole. Lily saw that Caradoc was obligingly cheerful for his girl but staring daggers over Emmeline's shoulder at Croaker. Croaker scowled (and paled nonetheless) and stomped off to his changing rooms. _Good for him_, nodded Lily to Caradoc. Lily hardly turned away before she was swept up herself by a gleeful James.

"We won! And we scrounged up enough points to put us ahead for the next match too! If Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff finish with different margins, we could even get a start on—"

It took a firm hand to cut of another Quidditch speech.

"Congratulations, James," smiled Lily fondly. His eyes were bright and glittering in the sun and his black hair was messier than usual. She had to admit that is did look better tossed about the wind. And he was still rattling on about points and formations, the goof. Lily slid her arms around his neck and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

She drew back and he was grinning.

"Are you putting up with me, Lily?" he asked teasingly.

"Putting up with the Quidditch, yes," she answered pleasantly. "But not you. I wouldn't like you so much if you didn't have that small bit of you that was a complete nutter."

"Really now?"

"Uh huh. You're lovable in your own way." James' grin was stuck as he looked steadily down at his girlfriend. Lily knew he wasn't mad, and he wasn't angry, but suddenly things were serious. A little awkward. Like Lily had said one word too many, or James should have said something but didn't, or something had been said too soon or too late. It was hard to describe as they stared right into each other for that strange moment. A moment that was somehow gentle and sweet. Lily never wanted James to stop looking at her the way he was now.

"We don't even get to congratulate him anymore, do we Moony?" drawled Sirius loudly from somewhere to the side. James snapped away from Lily's eyes with a visible shake. Lily moved reluctantly as well. James turned to his best friends.

"Sorry Padfoot, you don't get a kiss."

"Then I suppose today _is_ a good day."

"Padfoot, stow it."

"Nice game, mate," grinned Remus. Peter came up too.

"That was really great flying, James! You were the best out there!"

"Thanks, Wormtail." James gave Peter an appreciative smile all his own and shifted Lily to his side, arm still firmly around her waist. Caradoc and Emmeline walked over in the same position. Emmeline still elated.

"You were excellent, Emmeline!" greeted Marlene cheerfully, giving her a little hug. Lily nodded in agreement.

"You do fly well. James already mentioned how jealous he is."

James scoffed.

"I'll let it slide this once, Lily," he said in a voice that was very unconvincingly stern. Emmeline and Lily shared a grin before Emmeline turned to the Dorcas.

"And how was that performance, Dorcas? Hmm?"

Dorcas laughed at Emmeline's jubilant smugness.

"Well, you did miss that one time…" began Dorcas teasingly. Emmeline rolled her eyes.

"I was going for protecting my internal organs—"

"I meant the other time."

"The sun was in my eyes," declared Emmeline indignantly. "And for another thing—"

"You're an idiot, Emmy." Dorcas hugged her and Emmeline laughed again.

"And you, Dorcas, are simply jealous that my braid didn't let out one jot during the whole game—"

"Lunch, anyone?" interrupted Caradoc loudly.

"That's the smartest thing anyone's said all day," Sirius answered.

**I had to extract the former Slytherin captain, Mordicus Egg, because I rechecked his dates and he would not have been in Hogwarts at the time. I stand by what I said before. It's downright arduous to find enough names to accommodate Quidditch teams. More stuff to come in the future chapters, and pay attention to Rosier. **

**THANK YOU TO EVERYONE, READ AND REVIEW!**

**(Begins old review response that might be interesting for others.)**

**Peter does have _some_ interesting qualities and a wee bit of intrigue as to why he would betray all of his friends (his only real friends for years) to Voldemort. It's not that I don't like him as a writer but that I don't like him as a person because I really, really despise what he did in the books. Hard for me to sympathize with him I guess.**

**Out of all the characters in the books, it's actually Remus who I feel the most sorry for. He's lost all of his best friends as this point (dead or traitors) and he beats himself up for everything. He's the last Marauder and he's had a hard life by J.K. Rowling. I'm not going to make it worse here ;)**

**(Mirax Myra Terrik)**


	28. What Friends

Quidditch was not the only thing on the minds of the seventh years that November. Each week their professors invented new and challenging pieces of homework that Lily thought were specifically engineered to keep her away from James. Even he and Sirius were cracking down on their work, which meant that they began writing things in their notebooks. Whether it was concocting Truth Serum (Sirius nearly had his eyebrows singed off) or catching lobalugs in the lake (Peter suffered a poisonous sting and was carted straightaway to Madam Pomfrey), the seventh years were busy. Too busy. The amount of free time grew increasingly slim, punctuated for Lily and James only by kindly patrols. After a particularly arduous Charms class where they tried charming their partners for fiery pepper breath (Lily was the first to manage this one, leading James to set Snape on fire with great blasts from his mouth) Lily took a nice stroll around the grounds with her friends.

The mid-November light illuminated the highly colored landscape. To Lily, the quilt of leaves was a bittersweet reminder that this was indeed her last year at Hogwarts. She couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit sad as looked at her laughing friends. The Marauders did not have this period free and so it was just the girls with the addition of one new face. Mafalda Hopkirk joined them on their walks more and more, due to Emmeline. The two spent a lot of time together since Mafalda had begun officially dating Benjy Fenwick and he and Caradoc Dearborn were like shadows. Lily liked the younger girl: she was witty and funny and smart without being a know-it-all. In addition, Mafalda was sometimes awkward in the presence of four older girls from outside her own house, but she tried not to show it. Lily liked that. Lily also felt a kinship with Mafalda because she got the impression that Mafalda was popular and didn't have many close friends, a position Lily had known well.

Emmeline was telling a story, something about one of the boys she had and the time he had sat in her front yard for three hours until she hexed him off. The other girls were chuckling appreciatively and Lily forced herself to tune in when Mafalda shook her pleated brown hair and said thoughtfully,

"I would worry about that if I were you, Marlene."

"Pardon?" questioned Marlene, wrapping her robes more closely around herself. Mafalda seemed a little tentative to go on.

"I said I would worry about that if I were you. I mean, you do know what that Slytherin's been saying, right?"

"What?" asked Dorcas sharply. Marlene looked nervous

"That Travers fellow. The one in your year," continued Mafalda slowly. "He's a little off, isn't he? But I heard it from Agatha Timms that he's been saying an awful lot about you. I think he likes you."

"But I never really met him and I've hardly even talked to him!" Marlene protested.

"He's infatuated, more like," said Emmeline disdainfully before Lily cut in.

"Mafalda, what exactly did he say?'

"He said—well, I _heard_ he said—that he was going to ask Marlene out to Hogsmeade in December. And that he would have done…more…. sooner, if it hadn't been for…." Mafalda faltered and was immensely interested in an invisible piece of fuzz on her scarf.

"If it hadn't been for what?" prodded Lily. Mafalda fixed Lily with an odd sideways glance.

"You, Lily. He was saying that he could deal with Marlene being a Gryffindor (and I don't think he meant 'deal' in a nice way) but he couldn't if she went around with—with Lily."

"Although that's not what he _really_ said, is it?" asked Dorcas shrewdly. Mafalda shook her head.

"No, he used…other language. And I know he really hates James. And Sirius. And Remus. I mean, he _really_ hates them. Not Peter so much, though I don't know why…but he hates the other three. Him and Rosier and Wilkes and Snape, they all do. Then again they aren't exactly ready to go dancing with Caradoc or Benjy either," she added matter-of-factly, "but your boyfriend's got them in a right twist."

"I can't believe Travers is still on that!" Marlene was still clearly distraught. "I mean, I straightenedhim out last time. How can he fancy me after I told him I didn't like him—"

"You did what?" gaped Emmeline, snapped Lily, and roared Dorcas in unison. Mafalda opened her mouth and closed it again. Marlene colored pink and red.

"You said you just told him no to Hogsmeade!" accused Lily.

"Well I did, I _did_ I swear, but he had asked why and I said…I said it was because I was scared of him!" beseeched Marlene, whose cheeks were going purple. "And I was! And I am! And I told him that I liked someone else—that I didn't like him—and I don't know why he liked me! And he just sort of twitched and I ran for it and that's it! Honest." Emmeline simply shook her head. Dorcas was still puzzling this all out when Lily pushed back her hair furiously.

"Of all the times to be assertive Marlene, of all the times! You can't just tell him things like that and not say a damn—"

"You looked like James," interrupted Mafalda quietly. Both Marlene and Lily turned to stare at her, Lily's chest heaving. _How could Marlene tell him he was frightening? Just the sort of thing that creep needs to know!_

"What?"

"You looked like James," she repeated. "Just now. You messed up your hair and everything." Emmeline and Dorcas shared a slow smile.

"What?" Lily was irritable. "This is about Travers, everyone, and how our favorite closet maniac is going to dismember Marlene—"

"I said I was sorry," apologized Marlene sheepishly. "I just panicked."

"No harm, no foul," breezed Emmeline lightly, putting her arm around Marlene. "Next time, don't tell boys that they frighten you. It's not polite."

"Emmeline, how can you just skate over this?" demanded Lily. "He could really be dangerous—"

"You didn't seem so sure of that when you were defending those Slytherins back in September," replied Dorcas evenly. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Dorcas, you have the memory of an elephant. And I'm not defending them now, am I, with that bunch turning up everywhere to hex people—"

"It's not really that big of a deal," piped up Mafalda Hopkirk, even though she seemed as if she was only half at ease. "Loads of boys are obsessed with girls. Look at James and you."

"James didn't kill rats for fun," shot back Lily.

"And I'm never going to end up with Travers, and certainly not like you two," shuddered Marlene.

"Like us two how?"

"Like you're both becoming the same person," chimed in Emmeline. Comprehension dawned on Lily like a clear morning. They had been talking this over amongst themselves. Knowing the craftiness of Emmeline, the girls had probably been leading up to a moment like this all week. _Inquisition time_. With a sigh, Lily let the other subject slip.

"What are you talking about?" This was naturally the question Emmeline most wanted to hear.

"The way you two are always laughing and the way that sometimes you two make the same jokes and don't even know it. Even though yours were never much good—" Lily gave another dramatic sigh. Marlene giggled and returned to her natural color. "—you and James are getting alike."

"And you're picking up each other's habits," interceded Dorcas. "It's only been months but already your hands are going to your hair more, like they did just now. And you sometimes speak alike too, like if you both say 'bloke.'"

"You have done the thing properly, haven't you?" Lily asked drolly.

"So," said Emmeline business-like, "do you like him?"

"Of course I do."

"A lot?"

"Yes, I guess," replied Lily slowly. "Why?"

"We were just wondering if you intended to keep this up after Hogwarts," said Dorcas bluntly, characteristically forthright.

"I…well, yes, sure," stammered Lily, a small part of her mind dryly wondering how the tables had turned so much. The larger part of her mind was badgering her heart for an answer to Drocas. It would certainly be lovely after Hogwarts but for one of the first times in her life, Lily hadn't thought far into the future. Being with James was very much being in the 'here and now' because he was that kind of person, and Dorcas' implied question unlocked a barrage of fears and worries, which always seemed to come before any good thoughts. _Would James even want to?_ "Yes," she reiterated, "if I can."

"We were hoping you'd say that," added Dorcas.

"And we were hoping that you'd think it over too," chimed in Marlene.

"Because," Emmeline pronounced, "we don't want you coming up with any stupid ideas about what is happening here."

"What do you mean?" asked Lily quickly.

"About you and James," answered Dorcas.

"Your friends intend to pave the road of your relationship, so to speak, for you," said Emmeline.

"Wha—is this some kind of—"

"No," enforced Emmeline firmly. "We're perfectly serious. We don't want you and James to mess up."

"You're too nice together," smiled Dorcas.

"And James had been trying to long—and you've been trying to ignore your feelings for too long—for either of you to ruin things by doing something dumb," explained Emmeline. "Which you are both entirely capable of doing."

"So if you're going to go off, don't do it half baked," advised Dorcas.

"And ask us first, because we like the new you," Emmeline concluded. _They're like trained canaries_.

"And we have been thinking about you a lot because we care, so don't get angry," said Marlene. _Naturally Marlene would say something like that_… But Lily couldn't put off thinking about what they had said. Was it really so obvious that she and James got along so well? Lily was surprised that her friends were so worried or rather, concerned, with stopping her from befouling her relationship with James. She hadn't realized that they cared so much or paid so much attention to her—Lily knew that a dangerous wetness was poking up behind her eyes and she quickly turned on Mafalda, swallowing hard to suppress the warmth spreading through her face.

"Were you in on this too?" she demanded, not unkindly. Mafalda had the decency not to be smiling; she simply shook her head.

"Didn't even know it was happening. Didn't know that _much_," she clarified under Emmeline's watchful glare. Lily turned away to look at her three friends, who were grinning widely.

"Thank you…" she said, and the words were very difficult to say. They seemed to understand. "I'll try not to do anything brainless."

"I don't think it will matter," shrugged Dorcas. "James will probably just think you're being cute even though you're totally halfstand a good deal of the time." Lily just smiled.

"You're so lucky, Lily," sighed Marlene dreamily. "What a thing you've got going…it must be wonderful…"

Lily decided to redouble her efforts to unite Marlene and Remus.

The first step in any successful scheme was to ally oneself with James Potter and Sirius Black. Lily was no fool and therefore, she managed to carefully corner the both of them inside their Ancient Runes class just as it let out before dinner (they were still at their desks, transfiguring each other's notes into various angry animals). Remus stood around and waited patiently, giving Lily a small smile in greeting. She beamed back with a vigor that might have surprised Remus had he not spent that last ten minutes watching his best friends duel with their parchment.

James was deep in concentration, prodding his porcupine to attack Sirius' vulture, transforming the vulture into a worm. Sirius made the worm a bobcat and the desk nearly overturned as James quickly swelled the porcupine into a bald eagle. Lily shot a look at the professor, a balding man she could never remember the name of who was muttering to himself at his desk, oblivious to the students.

"Ahem." Lily cleared her throat to announce her presence. Sirius sighed and returned his bobcat (which was being pecked at by the eagle) to its natural form: a slim notebook entitled Ancient Runes in messy handwriting. James did the same.

"The old ball-and-chain, Prongs," nodded Sirius with a smile while Lily threw a quill at him. James merely smiled and stood up.

"Hey." They kissed lightly before Lily turned around and said to Remus,

"Remus, Madam Pomfrey wanted to see you. Something about your last visit?"

"Right," said Remus quickly, gathering up his stuff in haste. "I'll catch up later at dinner." He left. Lily barely had time to marvel how well her lie had worked before James caught her attention again.

"So what are you doing here? Don't I usually walk you to dinner?"

"Today will be different," Lily declared. "Today, I have come to pick the two of you up because we have to discuss Remus." Whatever she was expecting, it was not James' jaw dropping and Sirius shooting out of his chair quickly.

"What are you saying?"

"That I know that you know about Remus and Marlene," started Lily slowly, quizzically wondering what was going on.

"Ah, _that_," Sirius smirked, his body relaxing at once. "You know?"

"Yes, but Marlene doesn't."

"Know that you know or know that we know?"

"Padfoot, don't be an arse," interrupted James, slinging his bag on his shoulder as they head off for the Great Hall. "And that thing about Madam Pomfrey was a lie?"

"It was a diversion," qualified Lily. "To get Remus out of the way so I could find out what you knew."

"And what makes you think we'll tell?" asked Sirius slyly.

"Because you'd like to see Remus happy as much as I'd like to see Marlene happy," retorted Lily. James smiled and put an arm around her.

"Sharp as a tack. What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

"More specifically…?"

"All right…erm…" Lily was glad that James and Sirius were so willing to cooperate. "Does Remus really like Marlene?"

"Yes," supplied Sirius. "Doesn't talk about it but we know."

"Do you think he _wants_ to go out with her?"

"Yes, in his own way," said James. "Remus is kind of…neurotic." Sirius smiled.

"Good word for it, Prongs."

"Thanks." James grinned. "Anyway, you may have noticed it but he beats himself up a lot for things that really aren't his fault. He's taking an early ride round the twist."

"But he would be willing to ask her?"

James hesitated. "Yes…eventually."

"He'd need some prodding," put in Sirius.

"But he wouldn't like it if she brought up something to him?" The boys looked at each other and shrugged. Sirius answered.

"We'll find out if she does. I personally think it would be good for old Moony if he had—er, that is, if he went out with someone." Lily got the distinct impression that Sirius had retrained himself from using other terminology and she was fairly grateful.

"I take it you're on our side? Cajoling the lovebirds together?" asked James with an amused expression. "Me and Padfoot and Wormtail are all for it." Lily grinned back up at him.

"I'm in." James leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Wonderful."

_Yes, it is,_ agreed Lily mentally. With James and Sirius working on this, Remus and Marlene would be together by Thursday.

**This chapter is pretty obvious, I kind of liked it. Or at least parts of it.**

**The third book is my favorite, actually, because of the Quidditch game ;) And I empathize with Remus so besides the _eventual_ Marlene sadness he won't have any other troubles. I think. **

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS AND REVIEWED**


	29. New Couple

Later, Lily reflected that Thursday was a bit ambitious of her, though not for lack of trying. For a complete week and a half, there was absolutely no meal, match, or meeting during which Remus and Marlene did not sit together. Sandwiched often between Lily and Sirius, James, or Peter, the two were delicately forced into close quarters. As expected, Marlene grew fretful and worried for the first few days (citing to her friends vague problems such as the weather and her hair), leading Lily to let both Dorcas and Emmeline in on the plan. Lily didn't feel bad about this because after all, it was only by being incredibly wily that one could cajole Remus and Marlene to even strike up a conversation. For some reason, Remus stubbornly refused to be even the least bit cooperative with their secret plans although there was nothing outright objectionable about his behavior. He was cordial, quiet, and rarely graced with a bright smile, which was an uninviting attitude for a romantic relationship. Sirius and James privately confided in Lily that Remus was already suspicious of their sneakery but that they wouldn't say anything to him.

"If Moony wants to be difficult," smiled Sirius one day, "then difficult we shall be."

Despite one or two days during which Remus was ill, Lily nonetheless was getting an excellent feeling about this plan by the time the weather grew bitter. Wintertime fell upon Hogwarts in great drafts of hail and sharp winds. Scarves, gloves, balaclavas, and double layers of socks became near requirements for Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. In this midst of this inclement climate, and the piles of homework lavished upon the students, Lily did see that Marlene and Remus were talking more. Marlene was often nervous yet Remus was often quiet, like he didn't want to speak too much or get too involved. If he had really liked Marlene as much as he had said to Sirius, Lily couldn't understand why he wouldn't be taking every advantage of this carefully-crafted situation. James would only say that it was for a stupid reason that had nothing to do with Marlene herself, but Lily wasn't sure. Still, Lily had high hopes that Marlene's natural personality and charms would be sufficient to bridge the gap between them. In this hope she was not unfounded, for Lily's heart was warmed just before Care of Magical Creatures one day in early December; she could not help but feel bubbly inside even as her feet frosted like icicles.

Marlene had run back to the greenhouses to retrieve her forgotten inkwell before it froze over. Lily helped Professor Grubbly-Plank to secure their miniscule unicorn herd and turned to look forlornly over at the warm, inviting castle before class began. What she saw shocked and then excited her, and a slow, easy smile spread over her chapped lips. What she wouldn't give for today to be tomorrow, to be Saturday, so that there would be all the time in the world.

The ground was hardened and tough and each blade of grass stood out like a white-edged knife. There had been many frosts and no snow as of yet, which naturally only made it harder to bear the cold because snow was the favorite part of any student's Hogwarts winter. Walking over this desolate field together, leaning into each other and whispering, talking, laughing quietly, were Marlene and Remus, their books gathered to their chests and their backs cornered against the chill breeze. Marlene's nose was red but so were her cheeks as she blushed and laughed. Lily nearly dropped the harness of the unicorn she was holding and looked over Remus and Marlene's heads in excitement. James, Sirius, and Peter were following a suitable distance behind muttering and gesturing to themselves. James caught Lily's eyes and winked deliberately, sending her a smile that warmed her to her toes. Beside him, Sirius used sweeping and dramatic arm motions to indicate Remus and Marlene—who were only a few meters away now—as if Lily had perhaps not noticed them or had the brains of a stone. Peter waved brightly and Lily waved back just as Marlene appeared at her side, out of breath (although she hadn't been walking that fast) and chattering spiritedly.

"Class is starting Lily, I found my inkwell and all. Do you want to work together on the same unicorn—"

"Settle down," pronounced Professor Grubbly-Plank sternly, looking like an over-puffed dinner roll in her tan overcloak. "Now then, we've got the good luck to have this unicorn family here provided by Mr. Hagrid. It's your job to comb over each one and make sure it will get through the winter, using the techniques we've been reviewing in the past chapters. There are four, so split into groups, and I'll be checking to see—" Lily hurried over to a large, doe-eyed unicorn with shiny hooves. Marlene stood close next to her as James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter joined them. Lily and James smiled at each other knowingly over the unicorn, moving to allow Remus and Marlene to stand next to each other. Sirius was unabashedly amused.

"Mischief managed," he proclaimed smugly, but Remus and Marlene didn't notice. They had grinned shyly at each other before taking brushes to the unicorn's tail. Lily privately thought that it was pointless to groom a unicorn because it was so perfect to begin with, but she dutifully picked through its hooves with the help of James and Peter. The unicorn neighed and cast one dark eye meaningfully at her. Lily smiled, tossing her hair out of her eyes.

"Shh," she whispered soothingly, reaching out a red-gloved hand to pat the unicorn's luxurious mane. It whinnied half-heartedly and resigned itself to this treatment. Lily directed her smile then at James as he held the unresisting unicorn's head while she stroked its silvery hair.

James looked down at her with a strange expression. She was smiling up at him with those white teeth that matched the unicorn's coat. Lily's nose was touched with pink and so were her cheeks even though she didn't know it, countering the chilled white skin and spring green eyes. No matter what, she always looked warm to him, like a source of heat with that fire hair spilling over her black cloak. In the past days he had taken Lily's hands to find them cold, and then he would carefully make sure that they were just as warm as her lips. She looked so beautiful to him, all the time, even now. He swallowed and picked up a grooming tool, not knowing in the slightest what it was that his hands grasped. Why did she always make him feel like this? What was going on inside him? Certainly there were some normal feelings there, the usual feelings a teenage boy would have for a teenage girl, but there were new ones too. And James technically wasn't a boy anymore. His throat tightened. She hadn't noticed a thing. Absently, he began patting the unicorn, realizing that what he had grabbed was not a grooming tool but Sirius' scarf, and Sirius was now smacking at his hands to remove them. The unicorn made a noise that was almost a sigh, and James thought that it probably understood every unspoken word.

A Hogsmeade visit was announced to take place in the following two weeks, before the winter break began. By this time, there was no question that Remus would be going with Marlene. Lily was jubilant. They had been holding hands and quietly laughing for days now, and every evening Marlene would go to bed with a secret smile and rosy cheeks. Lily was excited for them, for her best friend especially.

"We're all taken up now," announced Emmeline at breakfast, the first day that Marlene and Remus and had entered together. "All four of us girls."

"What do you mean?" asked Dorcas, rolling up a yellow parchment and tying it onto an owl's leg.

"I know what she means," smirked James, moving his arm around Lily and pulling her closer.

"I'm so excited for her," smiled Lily, allowing James to wrap both arms around her. "She really needed it, and he's so sweet."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked James abruptly, tickling her neck. Lily laughed and swatted his hand away before she overturned her breakfast cereal.

"That I'm secretly going out with you and Remus at the same time."

"And me," added Sirius from the other side. "Don't forget about us snogging, Lily."

"Oh yes, and Sirius. Of course." Peter didn't say anything but just grinned, looking from Lily to James to see what James would say next.

"As long as you're still dating me," he said easily, grabbing a roll.

"James, don't eat on my shoulder."

"What?" he asked, muffled by the large quantity dough in his mouth. Sirius snickered and Lily rolled her eyes. James swallowed and smiled winningly. Lily's heart sped up a bit, and she faintly wondered, after all these months, why.

After dinner, Lily began the questioning.

"What's he like, Marlene?" asked Lily cheerfully, pulling up her knees to her chest and snuggling into her pillows. The wind howled outside the window, but inside the dormitories it was cozy, bright, and warm. All four girls were awake there that night, a rare occurrence. Dorcas, Emmeline, and Marlene had been up late working until Lily came in from patrols. Since Marlene was the only one doing anything resembling work, Lily had changed into her pajamas and settled down on her warm bed to interrogate Marlene. Marlene was lying stretched out on her own bed, scratching away with a purple quill, when Lily posed this question. She went red but her tone was anything but embarrassed, though perhaps shy, when she answered secretively,

"Like a boy. You know."

"Nooo, we don't," replied Emmeline from somewhere at the foot of Lily's bed, where she was propped up next to Dorcas as they filled in an Astronomy chart. "You've got to reveal to us the deep, dark secrets of Mr. Lupin. Especially since we worked so hard to get you two together."

"You did, didn't you?" responded Marlene with a triumphant blush. "I thought you were up to something."

"You're a smart girl, Marlene. If you hadn't been so wrapped up in _Remus_ you would have gotten it like _that_." Emmeline snapped her fingers. Lily and Dorcas chuckled before Lily continued,

"So come on Marley, spill the pudding. Tell us everything."

"Everything about what, precisely?" deflected Marlene, looking away with a bob of her curly head to gather up her homework.

"You and Remus Lupin, of course."

"I know you want to tell us," interjected Dorcas slyly. The blush spread down Marlene's neck.

"He's…nice. Really nice. I like him a lot I guess…but I like everyone a lot."

"But how does he kiss?" asked Emmeline impatiently, causing both Lily and Dorcas to laugh.

"Fine," smiled Marlene, her face slowly spreading into a wide smile. "Just fine." Lily was surprised that Marlene would even answer a question like that; she might not have only a few months ago.

So, apparently, was Emmeline, because she continued to press for information.

"How long have you liked him? How did he ask you out? What are the terms of your—"

"Alright, _Mother_, one question at a time," answered Marlene with her little smile. The little smile that women have been smiling for ages.

"I—I liked him since about the time I found out he liked me, although I've liked him on and off for a while," she confessed. "He didn't _seem_ to like me very much, though, until this one day…Well one day he smiled at me kind of differently. Different than a normal smile, I mean, because he didn't usually smile at me at all. I think it was after one of those days when he was sick—anyway, later on, he kind of came up to me and offered to take my books to class, and I said yes, and we just…started talking. And laughing. And then later, we…er…"

"Kissed?" filled in Emmeline helpfully. Marlene went even redder and started fingering her blanket. Lily smiled to herself. _Not so much changed_.

"Yes. And then he asked me to go to Hogsmeade, whenever it was, and I said yes. And that's sort of that."

And that it was.

**Yeah, I'll get more in depth with things next chapter, and then after that it's probably more Lily/James during winter break. Don't want to deviate from them too much. I've been slightly harassed with school and all, I had this _crazy_ training day thingy today were we dangled off ropes and climbed nets. It was fun, but tiring. A strange club, that one…but anyway, I'm working on the updates. Hope you like.**

**As far as Marlene, well, Remus needs to end up with someone because after all, I love him and he is so tragic. I can't picture him as being a dorky bookworm until he meets Tonks though. About their relationship, I also kind of didn't get it when I first read HBP…I mean, I accept it now, but it did seem strange to me. Love 'em both though, and whatever makes Remus happy… **

**(Mirax Myra Terrik)**

**To new readers and reviewers: Thanks for reading and spread the story!**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS AND REVIEWED**


	30. Changes Cemented

The next morning was an important—and successful—Quidditch match of Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. Final score tallied two hundred-and-twenty to fifty. Dorcas said the best part of the game was watching Emmeline and Caradoc trying to play Keeper without looking down the field at each other. Lily said the best part of the game was watching James score three consecutive goals and Caradoc just throwing up his hands and laughing. James said the best part came after the match, when Lily ran down the field and tackled him. Lily blushed and disagreed.

It had actually been a close match before Otto Bagman had nabbed the Snitch. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor were basically the best teams this year; and it was with Caradoc Dearborn, Benjy Fenwick, and Mafalda Hopkirk that Lily and her Gryffindor friends walked back to the castle. Both teams had strong Beaters and relentless Chasers, and damn good captains. Lily sheltered under one of James' arms while he discussed strategy with Caradoc, who was holding a shivering but triumphant Emmeline.

"I didn't do badly, did I Caradoc?"

"No, you didn't, you were bloody brilliant. Now sack it and don't keep reminding me."

_Pinch_.

"Ouch."

The afternoon was gray and so colorless that the clouds were no different than the blank shade of the cold sky. Everyone's noses were red and everyone's cheeks were berry-bright. Hogwarts was in good cheer that weekend because snow was expected, and because that night (amid much toasting and congratulating and pontificating) Professor McGonagall came round the Gryffindor Tower with the lists for winter break. With holidays straight ahead, it was to be to worried or anxious about spellwork.

Letters from Mr. and Mrs. Evans convinced Lily to spend her final school Christmas at Hogwarts, something she had never done before. Petunia was apparently on the warpath with matrimonial preparations, and had begun some new argument for a great teal wedding cake and a choir of live doves. James was particularly interested in the homemade gingerbread biscuits Mrs. Evans had sent in a wrapped package, and he studied Mr. Evans' scrawled plea for frequent distractions (in the form of letters). Lily laughed, and said that her father was not so scary after all, now was he? James looked uneasy and a little green. Sirius had laughed. James had hexed him. It was a fun evening.

Both James and Sirius were staying at Hogwarts for Christmas; James' parents were taking a holiday to Wales and Sirius proclaimed that he had no other family to bother with. No one else in their group of Gryffindors was living at the castle, and Sirius would carry on long and loud speeches about inaugurating Lily as a surrogate Marauder and booting out Remus, who would only chuckle and go back to whatever he was doing with Marlene.

Remus and Marlene were together a lot, and it set Lily's mind at ease. Next Saturday, exactly one week from that day, was Hogsmeade, and the very day after the students were departing for home on break. Lily had so far only foreseen one slight kink in their relationship: the white face of Travers, stony and impassive while it clove through the crowded corridors. Yet he and the other Slytherins had barely been a blip on Lily's radar since she was so preoccupied with James and other things, so much that she also anticipated a nice Christmas as well.

A small question tickled the back of Lily's mind, and it was not until Thursday that she got to ask it. Lily was lounging comfortably on a sofa in the common room, lazily reading over her Potions homework, when Marlene kissed Remus softly in his armchair and turned to go up to the dormitories. Lily watched Remus watch Marlene: he was smiling faintly and his brown eyes followed her retreating form all the way up the steps. _He looks so peaceful_, though Lily. _And happy_. Remus must have felt the force of her eyes upon him and turned to face her, still smiling.

"What?"

"You two are just so heart-warming."

"Thanks, I think," replied Remus, his wistful smile turning more into a grin. Lily bit her lip.

"But I was wondering something…" She took a deep breath and hoped Remus would understand. "Why did it take you so long to ask her to step out? I mean, was there something other than…well, er…"

His grin flickered but didn't fade, and very fortunately he wasn't offended.

"It's not that hard to ask out a girl, Lily." She blushed bright red and played with the tassels of a red throw blanket. Lily found she was doing a lot of blushing these days.

"What I mean is, er, I—"

"It wasn't Marlene," he answered gently. "I just had to sort some things out for myself. You understand." It wasn't a question. Lily nodded and risked looking up again. Remus wasn't angry. She was relieved.

"Thanks. I'm glad. You're not mad, are you?"

"No. But in the future, Lily, I don't think there are many blokes that would answer a question like that."

"Mmm. But you're one of them. Now could you hand me my bag? I think I could use a sherbet lemon."

…

Snow came, in great drifts and gusts during the next morning, and the seventh-year Gryffindors trouped out (with the rest of the school) into the meter-deep whiteness after their noon classes. Emmeline was not there, and neither was Peter, but Lily didn't quite know why and didn't bother to ask because there were all the makings of a capital snow fight, and classes were over, and the holiday was begun.

The lines were drawn and teams were set, and it was to be girls against boys. No magic, and after the trenches were dug and the embankments raised it was an all-out war zone. Just before dinner, when everyone was soaked through and panting (and in Lily's case, spitting snow out of her mouth), they decided to call it quits. James had just raised his arm in truce when something changed in his face, and he lips pursed into a tight line. Lily had been laughing and gasping for breath a moment before, now she stopped, and knew that whatever was happening it was behind her, where James was looking murderously. She turned around.

Silhouetted against the yellow light of the castle windows was Peter, apparently creeping along the stony walls, and behind him in the doors of the main entrance were four figures in green scarves. The entire crowd of them could hardly have been more than five yards away at this point, and James shouted first.

"Oi! What d'you think you're doing?"

Peter froze dead and looked as white as the snow underfoot, casting a scared look at the Slytherins behind him. Lily's heart went out to him and she heaved herself out of the pile of snow. Sirius and Remus were shaking themselves off to follow James, who was approaching the Slytherin boys. They had the unmistakable look of people who had just been bullying someone else and were pleased by their handiwork. James stopped right behind Peter and cast them a frosty stare.

"It seemed a bit to me like you were following our friend around."

"Friend?" asked Snape delicately, with all the grace of a cat. Remus gritted his teeth.

"Not like you would know one it if bit you on your fat nose, Snivellus," drawled Sirius. "But yeah, a friend. Maybe you've had one…? No. I see." Snape was easily bated and glared maliciously, fingering his wand. Rosier's lips peeled into a sneer as he overlooked the group of snowy Gryffindors before him. Lily's gloved hand clenched into a fist around the hard ball of packed snow in her hand.

"How quaint. Building snowmen? No no, they must have been making snow angels. Yes, that's it. A Mudblood, two traitors, a half blood—"

"Close your face!" snapped Lily, feeling hot anger rise in her face. _He shouldn't always be allowed to say things like that_. Rosier's eyes narrowed and Wilkes, the scrawny boy with dull blond hair and a light raspy voice spoke up.

"Shut up, Mudblood."

"You shut up, you odious prig!" Lily was so angry that she actually took a step towards them. Rosier recoiled but didn't take any steps back. Lily felt a warm presence at her back, and it felt like James. Rosier said softly,

"What will you do about it, _Evans_?" But Lily was no longer paying attention to him; she was looking over his shoulder at the final boy, the one with pale eyes like lamps guiding the dead. Travers was tense, as tense as she had ever seen him, and he was not looking at her or at James, but somewhere to the side where Lily suspected Remus and Marlene might be standing. Rosier's eyes slid to the side and then back to Travers. The tall boy was no longer so blustering, he was perhaps even uneasy as well as he could try to hide it.

"Nevermind. Let's go, Travers."

"No."

"I said let's go, and we're going." Rosier turned on heel and roughly pushed Travers with his shoulder, leading him back to the hall. Snape gave a hated glare at them all before slowly trailing after the others.

Just before the great door closed behind them, three white projectiles appeared from behind Lily and hit Snape square on the back of the head. He turned around in fury as there came a dry chuckle that Lily identified as belonging to Sirius.

"Search and destroy."

**First of all I am really, really sorry about the update time. I've come down with a cold and a bad case of homework, not to mention writer's block (you could probably tell, I don't like this chapter so much). **

**James' "thoughts" are useful for getting some masculine insight here…don't want to make it just a girl story. Marlene's friends are a crafty bunch (best witches of the age, eh) and I don't begrudge them being protective ;) Neither Emmeline nor Dorcas will go out with Sirius or Peter, ever.**

**(Mirax Myra Terrik)**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS AND REVIEWED**


	31. Christmas Part One

The next week or so passed in a flash, and Lily found herself smiling at James, hollyberries in her hair, as they walked down to dinner on Christmas Eve. There were only two tables in the Great Hall, and Lily, James, Sirius, Glenda Chittock, and Dirk Cresswell were the only Gryffindors remaining at Hogwarts. All of their other friends had gone home. Mafalda Hopkirk and Benjy Fenwick, Emmeline and Caradoc, Marlene and Remus, Dorcas, and Peter celebrated this Christmas with their families.

Lily now had no doubt that Marlene and Remus would continue to be an item. After a frazzled day of last-minute shopping around Hogsmeade (where had all that time gone, wondered Lily), the two friends had met up with the Marauders at Madam Puddifoot's. Marlene went off for delicious butterbeer with Remus while Lily teased James that no, in fact, she had not been buying a gift for him, and had instead been shopping for Sirius. Sirius himself was nowhere to be seen, off on a date with Hufflepuff Greta Catchlove, or he would no doubt have had something to say. Peter hung around for a while with Lily and James, but eventually went off on his own to check out something at the Shrieking Shack. Now the studies and the shopping were over and done, and there was only one more sleep till Christmas.

"Mmm, goodnight," murmured James, relinquishing Lily after having magicked a small sprig of mistletoe overhead. He had been doing that a lot lately, but Lily was certainly not complaining.

It was a little before midnight in the common room even though the fire still blazed heartily, perhaps the house elves were merrier around Christmas as well. Lily and James had spent the day idly mucking around with Sirius, either bundled up outside (and shoving him into snow drifts) or exploring the school (and shoving him into the twelve magnificent Christmas trees). Lily was the only one really exploring however, James and Sirius tread their way so easily that Lily thought they could do it blindfolded and still better than she.

"Happy Christmas Eve, James," smiled Lily cheerfully. She turned to leave but James took her arm.

"Lily." He looked a little uncomfortable, which in turn reminded Lily of a morose puppy, with scruffy hair and crooked glasses. "I er…just wanted to say…"

"What is it?" she inquired curiously, mentally still going over the checklist of gifts she had mailed out by owl. Lily and James hadn't been uncomfortable around each other for months.

He rumpled his hair.

"Being as tomorrow is Christmas and all, I was wondering if you would want to spend the morning just the two of us…you know. Sirius is going off with Greta anyway, so—"

"No James, I would never want to do that," said Lily sarcastically, unable to hide a grin. She raised her eyebrows when James actually seemed put out for a moment or so.

"That's a yes, then? I—"

Lily placed on slim finger over his mouth.

"James, shut up, or I'll think you're going spare if you take everything so seriously. By the way, since when did you take anything seriously? I shall have to investigate tomorrow."

"Ah," he smiled. "Good." James closed his hand around her finger and gently pushed it from his face. "Lily, you don't have to do that. I need my lips for other things."

"So I've heard."

Lily stumbled into her bed ten minutes later.

…

Dazzlingly white light flooded the room as Lily drew back her bed curtains on Christmas morning. She ran to the window immediately, cinching the belt of her red robe on the way; there was a thick level of fresh snow on the ground, disturbed only where the Whomping Willow was contentedly whacking away at some errant squirrels. A bubble of happiness rose in Lily's stomach and brought a great smile to her face because today was Christmas. A pile of colorful packages winked tantalizingly from the foot of her bed. Lily smiled and tore into them with exuberance.

Dorcas had sent her five new inkwells of ink in blazing colors that would glow on parchment. Emmeline had given her a small bottle of perfume that fizzed pleasantly and felt like mist on her skin. Marlene had sent her two huge bags of sherbet lemons. Lily grinned and unwrapped one as she worked, squelching the citrus juice in her mouth.

Lily had expected her parents to send her favorite candies as well, but the gift from home was a shallow box of cardboard, teal with a large white bow. Curious, Lily opened it and puffy waves of pale turquoise spilled into her hands. A small white note fell out and she flipped it open with interest.

_Lily_, it read.

_You're in the wedding party. Don't rush to congratulate us all at once. We spotted you the dress. And there are some lemon candies in the box._

_Merry Christmas,_

_Mum and Dad_

Lily held up the dress, if that was what it was. It looked like a neon disaster, with bows and ribbons up the puffy elbow sleeves and a garish fake rose pinned on the high waistline. Lily sighed, and hoped her other presents would prove more satisfactory.

…

They did. And Lily bounded down to the common room in high spirits, hugging James on sight. He was standing by the fireplace, looking casual in his thickly-knit blazer. The common room was empty save for them.

"Good morning," said James with a smile. "I'm glad you're here. Hold on a sec, let me just tell Padfoot…" He reached on top of the mantle and pulled off a small, square mirror that had been lying flat. It appeared secondhand and well-worn, and Lily studied it. She had seen them before; one for James and one for at least Sirius. James held it up to his face and muttered "Sirius Black."

Lily quickly peeked over James' shoulder but was too slow: the mirror was already sharpening into the image of Sirius's snoozing face on his pillow. His nose was oddly smooshed in the picture.

"Padfoot," said James sharply, and Sirius' eyes burst open and then the image dipped and slid and became totally black. No, that was the carpet, aha! A hand—or at least a few fingers—materialized and the image righted itself with Sirius yawning widely. It would seem that he had been asleep, woken up, and startled, and then he had dropped the mirror.

"A two-way mirror. Impressive, James," commended Lily. _Naturally such mischief-makers would need a support system…_

"Hell's going on…?" mumbled Sirius, squinting, "Prongs, why—"

"Padfoot, you fell asleep? I left you about fifteen seconds ago—"

"I was tired!"

"So you put the mirror face-down on your conk?"

"Yes. It woke me up, didn't it?" James rolled his eyes. Lily laughed. Sirius rubbed his eyes and smiled, the picture shuddering as he sat up in his bed.

"Hello Lily. Happy Christmas."

"Same to you, Sirius."

"Had a lovely rest, did you?"

"Close it," said James impatiently. Sirius actually winked at Lily before James continued, "I've done what you ask. You're supposed to meet Greta in an hour, by the way."

"I know, I know…" James snorted.

"Have a nice rest. You'll have to get yourself up though." Sirius waved dismissively.

"You only have an hour and you're going back to sleep?" asked Lily, amused.

"Don't encourage him," said James complacently. "Later Padfoot."

"Same here," said Sirius brusquely, as the mirror went blank. Lily eyed the dingy mirror with interest.

"How does it work, James?"

"You say the name of the bloke with the other mirror and it starts operating," replied James easily. "Dead useful sometimes, got us both through History of Magic." He replaced the mirror on the mantle.

"No one disturbs it there," he explained.

"Ah. I see."

"I'm sure you do," smirked James, sliding her into his arms. "You're just so clever, aren't you?"

"When I want to be," smiled Lily. "And what is on the plan today, Mister Potter? Wrestling dragons? Riding hippogriffs? Domesticating grindylows?"

"Hardly," sniffed James. "Who would want a grindylow as a pet?"

"What if I said that I did?"

"Then you'd find one on your doorstep when your birthday rolls around."

"I'd hope so," said Lily smugly, kissing him lightly. "But really now James, what are we doing?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Positively nothing. We are spending the entire day lazing about in this room, engaging in useless things and profitless pursuits I'm going to teach you how to relax, Marauder-style."

"I know how to relax," said Lily indignantly as James laughed.

"No, you don't. But you will, Lily, you will. By the end of today, you will be able to slack with the best of them."

"Are you saying I'm a swot?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"I'm saying you're stressed. Now go get your bathrobe and find some slippers. You'll need to be comfortable."

**Arrgh, short again I know. I think so, anyway. But this next chapter will be mostly fluff, I think, and I am getting back into the story writing so things will pick up. Btw, if anyone wants to hear me tooting my own horn about the last chapter, look below. I am going on a trip this weekend (Boston for three days) so there may be a delay in updates. Though I'm slacking so much already that there is hardly a difference :) Much love.**

**Peter is consorting with Slytherins. Not like "plotting against Marauders" consorting, but he at least does not have anything against the Slytherins, and they can bully him around. Although in the previous chapter (sneaky sneaky me here) when he is scared, he is not scared of the Slytherins. He looked frightened because he thought that Marauders & Co had seen him "consorting" w/ the Slytherins. Being good folk like they are, they (through Lily's eyes because she thinks the same way) assumed he was scared of being bullied. Yeah…if you found that confusing rather than subtle, well, er…sorry. I was just pleased at the plot nuance thing.**

**(Anne)**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS AND REVIEWED**


	32. Christmas Part Two

Lily thumped back moments later with her fuzzy slippers and robe. James was longing on the couch in front of the roaring fire with a pile of something on the floor. It appeared to be several pounds of food. There were slices of bread and sticky marshmallows and other foods that would do well over a fire.

"James," began Lily as she climbed on beside him, "what are we doing?"

"I already told you," answered James, producing two toasting sticks from somewhere on his person. He began to idly wipe them clean on the sofa. "We are relaxing. You are getting a brilliant beginner's course in sitting around and jawing."

"And this is my Christmas gift?"

James paused.

"No, that is later. This is a prelude to that. Now watch me closely as I begin to relax." He handed her one of the long skewers. Lily took it quizzically.

"Are we _eating_ the entire morning?"

"Would it bother you if we were? Don't answer that," he added hastily, adjusting his glasses. "We are relaxing. Noshing is an integral part of slacking off."

"I thought we were doing nothing?"

"Lily," James sighed, putting on a long-suffering expression. "Already you're worrying yourself too much. Just sit back and watch me." James plucked a piece of bread from a sack in the heap before them and inserted the bread onto the toasting stick. He held it lazily over the fire. "Combined, this bread and this stick make what we call _toast_. You do the same."

Lily giggled because she couldn't help it and reached over to take her own slice of bread.

"You have excellent form, Lily. A champion toaster."

"Stop teasing me. What happens now?"

"Well, normal people wait for the thing to _toast_, and then there is blackberry jam for afterwards. Until then, we will discuss nothing in particular."

Lily raised her thin eyebrows. James looked expectantly impish, like he had planned for the case of her possible mutiny.

"Really James?"

"Yep. Actually, we can talk about you if you'd like. Is that your real hair color?'

Lily laughed and said,

"Is this how we're spending the rest of the day?"

"Yes. That and plotting to end Filch's janitorial career."

"Mmm. Productive."

"Pass the jelly."

Lily remembered that Christmas day as being one of her best. She hardly noticed anyone else coming or going through the common room because the entire holiday was fun and fresh and very much full of James. They sang carols and drank butterbeer and told the very worst of jokes and stories. By lunchtime, Lily had jam on her fingers and James had marshmallow on his face and Lily couldn't imagine it any other way. Together, they wallowed away the rest of the day in the deep snow banks outside. Sirius and Greta joined them before dusk, their arrival ushering in the beginning of a fierce snowball fight. Boys against girls, the seventh years went at it hammer and tongs, and Lily discovered that Greta could almost be a friend. It was arm-in-arm that the four stumbled back to the Great Hall for Christmas dinner.

The tables of the Great Hall were dressed to their finest, piled high with chops and poultry and casseroles and potatoes and greens and puddings and all sorts of delicious sauces and dishes, more than Lily had ever seen at one Christmas table in her life at home. It seemed like Greta was new to this Hogwarts Christmas too; she and Lily chatted eagerly over their ham rolls about the innovations of a magical holiday since Greta had turned out to be muggleborn too.

At the end of the meal, Sirius and James sat back and belched loudly. While Greta snorted at their manners, Lily was content to dreamily rest in her seat. _Perhaps one too many slices of cake_, she mused thoughtfully, letting her mind wander. Her eyes rested on James and Sirius and she smiled. Although it might have been her sugar-saturated brain, Lily thought that they were maybe even looking more alike everyday. They certainly acted the same way and each had the same trick of speech. Although Lily found James to be preferable, Sirius could be a bit much sometimes—

"Ready for bed?" yawned Sirius, apparently as sated as Lily.

"Padfoot, you woke up late and now you're turning in early?" said James. Sirius raised his eyebrows rakishly, probably more for the benefit of Greta and Lily than of James.

"I figured we'd be up tonight, better get a move-on—"

"All right, all right," said James hastily, shooting a look at Lily. She rolled her eyes genially, showing that she didn't mind. James grinned.

"Excellent. But before we go, I think I've got something for Lily. A present, actually."

"Then I'll walk Greta back to her place. Night Lily."

"Bye Sirius." Greta and Sirius stood up, Greta with a swish of her long blonde hair and a friendly smile at Lily.

"Goodnight Lily, James. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too, Greta," chimed Lily, and they caught each other's smile. _I think I've just made a friend_, she thought pleasantly. A warm hand covered her own and she looked up to see James.

"C'mon, Lil. I need to give you your gift." Lily smiled brightly in return (a smile which in James' opinion was brighter than the sparkling moon on the ceiling) and lazily got to her feet.

They trouped off to the portrait hole, wishing the Fat Lady a happy holiday (and "_Pinecone crisp_") before they went off to their respective rooms to get the gifts.

Lily found her heart to be hammering in her chest as she took up the red-wrapped parcel in her hands. What if he hated it? Or was indifferent? Or had one? _Nonsense_, she told herself briskly, marching back to the common room. _He'll like it well enough. And if he doesn't, then he'll never let you know it._

James was waiting with bright eyes by the fireplace. Wordlessly, he hand her a green package as she exchanged hers. They looked at each other and smiled nervously at the color choice.

"You open yours," said James in a voice not so much like his own. Lily gently tore off the clumsily-prepared paper. Inside was a leather-bound book labeled "Hogwarts" in glistening gold letters. Lily flipped the brass clasps open and gasped.

It was a photo album of the grounds of Hogwarts. Photos covered page after page of the school, including moving pictures of classrooms and the Quidditch pitch and even the Whomping Willow thrashing mightily in a breeze. It was every aspect of Lily's second home, and James had thrown in a few cheeky pictures of himself as well as some of her friends, smiling and waving.

Lily felt a lump rising in her throat. This was so heartfelt and sincere, not just a quick change of gold. It was the most beautiful thing she had seen, besides the real Hogwarts herself. A warm wave melted Lily's heart right there. She clutched the book to her chest and raised her eyes to her boyfriend.

James smiled at her thankful expression, his worst fear done away with.

"I remember how you said you would miss Hogwarts and all, and I thought you could remember it by this…I know you love wizarding pictures, and I just hoped that—"

"This is wonderful," breathed Lily happily, trying not to let her eyes well with tears. "You shouldn't have put all this time—" James barked in laughter. _She liked it_. He sighed and let a great weight off of his chest.

"Hah. Better that than Ancient Runes."

"Oh James. You—" Lily set the book down and threw her arms around him, turning her face into his shoulder to control her sobs.

"I love it," she said, muffled into his blazer.

For a full second, James' stomach dropped. His vision blurred and the common room turned upside down before it righted itself. _Loved—?_ _It, it_, he told himself. _She loved it. Love…I must have misheard, that's all_.

Meanwhile, Lily snuffled her last and pushed her gift into James' hands, taking a step back.

"Open it." He obeyed mechanically and tore open the paper, his mind still stunned. Lily didn't notice; she was wiping her eyes.

"It's not as nice as yours though…"

James shook his head vigorously and forced himself to focus. He held a brown, patched blanket, _his_ blanket he realized. That he had tossed on Lily one full moon, it seemed like so long ago… Washed and pressed, it now had the unmistakably scent of Lily and sherbet lemon.

And another little something fell into his hands from inside the blanket. A penknife with many different attachments, an odd device with little hooks and attachments. This sparked the Marauder in James and he examined it quizzically.

"It's supposed to unlock any lock and undo any knot," explained Lily, eyes twinkling. "I'm sure you'll test the authenticity of my guarantee."

"Lily…" began James. The penknife slid easily between his fingers and flipped open with the least of touches. In his other hand was the blanket, soft and comforting.

"This is…well it's perfect. For me. Thank you so much."

"You like it?" asked Lily hesitantly. James grinned and pulled her to him.

"I _love_ it," he echoed, gazing straight at her. Lily gulped: there was the most unusual look in James' eyes.

"Good," she managed. "I'm glad." James kissed her and it was a long time before they broke apart.

"Goodnight James," said Lily quietly, taking her album and vanishing into the darkness of the dormitory.

"Goodnight Lily," whispered James, who found that his heart beat had not quite settled yet.

**Whew, finally! I really, _really_ apologize for the tremendous delay, but school has been ridiculous lately. I was inspired by the Goblet of Fire to continue on, and I hope you liked the Christmas. I didn't want James to just spring for emeralds like he does in every story.**

**The dress was what will be Lily's bridesmaid's gown at Petunia's wedding, which her parents sent her so that she wouldn't have to buy it herself.**

**(kez192)**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS AND REVIEWED! AND WHO WAITED SO PATIENTLY!**


	33. Secret Revealed?

After Christmas, the break ended; and January and Lily's friend rolled right into Hogwarts. Marlene, Emmeline, Dorcas, Remus, Peter, Benjy, Caradoc, and Mafalda returned with their own particular brand of noise and Hogwarts seemed like the same it had always been. However, with the return of friends also came the return of enemies, and Lily noticed with renewed anxiety the returns of Travers, Snape, and the rest of the Slytherin lot. It was Rosier in particular: one day after Potions, Lily and James were walking down to Charms with their usual gaggle of friends when a shadow settled in front of one of the torches in the dungeon. Rosier stood in front of the orange fire, flanked by Travers and Snape. His lips opened slowly in a shark-like grin as he caught Lily's eye.

"Evans," he mouthed, and gestured with his head towards the Marauders. "Your boyfriend."

Rosier continued smiling, and Lily felt that the temperature had dropped several notches. While in passing, Sirius casually leaned out, laced his ankle behind Snape's and pulled, sending him knocking in Rosier. Rosier simply caught the seething boy by the shoulders and steadied, with that twitch of mysterious triumph still upon his lips. Sirius sneered and James laughed and the group passed on without further incident. No one else besides Lily seemed to have observed anything amiss, and she felt Rosier's eyes on her even after she passed beyond the dungeons.

It was nearing the beginning of February when something very, very odd had occurred to Lily. After a very recent nightly sojourn, the Marauders were in their Care of Magical Creatures class as per usual. Lily and Marlene were tightly bundled up and standing very close to James and Remus, respectively. Today the class was situated very close to the fringe of the Forbidden Forest as Professor Grubbly-Plank had them carefully studying the calf-deep snow to identify animal tracks. The frigid temperature pushed Lily's breath out in a cloud of frost as she and Marlene took clumsy notes in their mittens. James, Sirius, and Peter was all joking about something, and even Remus was not inclined to do work, when suddenly Rosier called out, "Professor! I think I've found something strange!"

"Yes," smirked Snape as Lily turned to look at him. "It is most unusual." Their short teacher bustled over and a frown creased her features.

"Hmm," said Professor Grubbly-Plank, peering down at the frost. From the corner of her eye, Lily saw James nudge Sirius and move a little closer to the crowd of students who gathered around an incredibly smug Rosier.

There was a set of tracks leading in a wide arc from out of the line of trees and back into it. On either side it was crisscrossed by two other prints, with scuffle marks at the peak of the arc. There were large paw prints, extremely large, maybe even the size of Lily's palm. Marlene shuddered at her elbow and Lily had a pretty good idea about what her friend was thinking: a dog (or wolf) big enough to make those prints must have weighed as much as Lily herself or more. There were also cloven hoof prints, some twelve centimeters in length. But without a doubt, and without a second glance, Lily knew precisely which prints had caught Rosier's knowing eye.

They were almost like deformed human footprints, elongated but with recognizable toes and a pad and a heel. Then there were… the other parts. Large drag marks of what must have been thick claws also appeared in the fresh whiteness, along with the feathered edge of perhaps shaggy fur. The three sets stampeded one another until they split up once more at the very edge of the forest. Lily gulped, but Professor Grubbly-Plank was speaking.

"Well, Rosier, you certainly have a sharp eye. Who thinks they can identify the tracks?" A slender hand rose into the air, and it belonged to Severus Snape. Lily glanced at James and found his face to be white and wide-eyed.

"Professor," he said in soft, liquid tones, "I think that the prints belong to some sort of hound, and some sort of deer, and then…I cannot even begin to guess." His tone demonstrated nothing of the kind, however, and his eyes moved ever so slightly towards the Marauders.

"Very good Snape, and… I think that the other set is too—too mixed-up to decipher. The lesson bell is about to ring," she finished briskly. "Pack up your notes and I'll need an essay on your findings for Wednesday—"

Lily bent over for one last look at the snow. She was not sure where she had seen pictures of those tracks before, whether in a school book or a library book, but they brought a funny sensation to the back of her mind.

That sensation stayed with her all through dinner, when James' laughter seemed forced and Remus seemed paler than usual. Sirius was rowdier than usual, and Peter was somber and barely spoke a word.

Patrols that night were pleasant. James had relaxed and had not mentioned the perturbing lesson to Lily, who tactfully didn't mention it. She was not even sure what had happened, come to think of it. As she was getting changed for bed, Lily mulled over the disturbing details of the Care of Magical Creatures class. _Why was Rosier so smug? What does Snape know? Does it have to do with James? And what were those tracks?_ Exasperated, Lily flopped into bed.

The sound of Lily's body hitting the mattress roused Marlene, who had been reading behind her curtain.

"How was tonight?" she asked brightly, putting her book aside.

"Fine," replied Lily, rolling over to look at her curly-haired friend. "No problems." There was a moment's pause. "Say, Marlene…in Care of Magical Creatures today—"

"You noticed it too?"

"James and his mates?"

"Yep. And Remus was specially quiet too."

"Mar…" said Lily slowly, trying to express what had been in her head for most of the day, "I remember those prints from somewhere. I can't put my finger on it though… maybe a lesson a while back. And I don't think they're good. Do you know what they were?"

"Not the ones Professor Grubbly-Plank wouldn't identify I don't."

"You noticed that she wouldn't say anything too?" asked Lily almost excitedly. Marlene nodded.

"That's awfully dodgy because you could tell that she knew what they were."

"Exactly! I wish I did though…" There was another lapse. Then Marlene yawned.

"The main thing for me I guess is that Remus and James and Sirius and Peter don't go near the Forbidden Forest when they go out every few weeks. Course who has any idea what they're up to anyway—"

"Wait, what was that?" Lily felt a cold feeling behind her heart, as if some metal machinery were clicking into place.

"When they go out every few weeks," she repeated. "I've noticed it more and more now that Remus and I are dating. And they do it every so often I guess—"

"Yeah," said Lily breathlessly, her heart pounding. "They do." Marlene propped herself up on one arm.

"Lily, what is it?" she asked curiously. Lily shook her head. _No, it can't be that_. _It can't_—

"Whatever it is I expect a full report in the morning," said Marlene sleepily. She reached over and put out her light. "Night, Lily."

"Goodnight…" Lily lay awake for a long time afterwards, staring at her canopy. She had suddenly remembered what those tracks belonged to.

**Ladies and Germs, the moment you've all been waiting for—it's wolf time! Okay, okay, so I've been lax lately but I'm trying to make up for it with two updates nearly in a row. Sorry for any typos, and if anyone spots any inconsistencies with characters of the plot, please feel free to comment or message me. And the responses below are only to questions or notable, response-demanding comments. I love you all. Thanks. And Happy Thanksgiving for all the US peeps out there ;)**

**James sort of misheard her at first and was like "gack! love? omg what do I do?" and then he calms down when he realizes that she wasn't talking exactly about him, and then he thinks about what would it feel like if she was, and now the seed in planted in his brain and he'll be thinking about "love" for a bit.**

**(GoddessoftheMaaN)**

**A BIG HEARTY WOOT AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO READ AND REVIEWED AND SAID NICE THINGS OR _ANY_THINGS!**


	34. Wolf Out of the Bag

The cold, grey chill of a wet cloud hung over Hogwarts on the following morning. It seemed to Lily—who had been denied of sleep—that Dorcas opened her curtains just as her eyes closed. Lily had lain still as a stone for hours, days, years, maybe even centuries that night, with her eyes unwilling to close.

_Werewolf_, she thought on the way to breakfast that morning. _I just can't believe_.

Lily had gone over every facet of this new information the night before. She had pondered everything and thought it all out, but to no advantage for her. It was like the unraveling of a sweater: leading only to more questions and more loose threads. How could she have never noticed? Obviously, Remus had been a werewolf for quite some time. He was sick (now that she considered it) at about every full moon. Shouldn't his illnesses have fomented an idea in her head before now? _I wasn't looking for it_, she thought desperately. _I thought they were playing! Joking! I never dreamed—_

And that led to further inquiry: did James and Sirius and Peter know? The resounding answer to that was _of course_ they did. It seemed like it was flung at Lily from every curtain of every window on the way to the portrait hole, as if it was written in letters upon every flagstone in the corridor. Lily had declined Dorcas' invitation to wait for Emmeline that morning; she had had to get away for a little. _Marlene had understood, bless Marlene_, thought Lily. _She always understands—_Did Marlene know?

_No, no,_ thought Lily quickly. Lily had been over all of this in the wee hours of the morning. _She wouldn't have known or I'd have realized something was up. Remus surely wouldn't tell her after only two months, especially if James never told—_James. That's right. This brought Lily back to her original realization: When the Marauders went out together, they went with a full-fledged werewolf in their midst. Were they crazy? Lily bit her lip at the thought of what spells or devices the boys would have had to use to protect themselves. And others. And what about Peter? Lily couldn't help but feel that he certainly wouldn't be up to the task of fending off a blood-hungry animal—

_No, shut up_, Lily told herself harshly. _It's still Remus. He's no different now than he ever was. It's obvious that he takes precautions of some kind, so—_

_Does Dumbledore know?_ The answer to this must have been _yes_ without question. Lily doubted that even the Marauders would have been able to conceal such a vital secret from their twinkle-eyed headmaster. But how many of faculty knew? What about other students? What a mess this was.

_He might have told me_, thought Lily tiredly, taking her seat at the Great Hall and discovering that she had no appetite.

_He couldn't have though, it would have betrayed Remus. What should I do?_ Lily knew that she had to talk to James about this; a small corner of either her heart or her mind pointed out that the reason Lily was so shaken up was because James had—for months now at least—been practically tied to a werewolf once a month.

The barrage of the implications of Remus' condition pelted her like hail as she dutifully loaded her plate with sausages and toast. This balloon of information was swelling up inside Lily; she had to talk to someone before she burst.

As her pals filed in, Lily made all the correct sounds and motions during the meal. Besides eating, that is. Or speaking. Or really even meeting anyone's eye. The only reason that Lily wasn't pressed outright as to why she was so quiet was because of the contents of the _Daily Prophet_. A wizarding boy of ten had magically dropped a wheelbarrow on two Muggle children while suspected to be under the Imperius Curse, and that boy was the younger brother of a Slytherin prefect. The prefect wasn't at breakfast.

Caradoc and Benjy had come over during the meal to insinuate with Sirius that it was not the Imperius Curse that made the Slytherin's brother go bad. Discussion became so heated that the rats' nest in Lily's stomach was able to go virtually undetected throughout the entire meal.

James knew, however. Knew that something was wrong at least. His gaze was unmistakable, like a brand on Lily's shoulder, even though she refused to meet his eyes. Lily pointedly avoided it while Sirius flung hash brown everywhere in his argument with Remus over the news clipping. Lily could not look at Remus either; because she was unwilling to draw his attention to herself. Somehow, she couldn't shake the feeling that her new knowledge was outwardly visible, like a mole or a bruise. Professor Slughorn roused up further disturbance by handing out his little ribboned invitations to another Slug Club dinner and bustling off with a cheeky wink, just as James opened his mouth with a distinct look at Lily. His jaw snapped shut as he tossed the ribbon onto the table and unfurled the parchment.

"I can't," said James abruptly, reading the time. "Quidditch practice."

"Damn," said Emmeline lightly. "I wish I could have tasted some of his pineapple. Or maybe, Caradoc, since _you_ won't be practicing, you could sneak a little parcel—"

"You want me to turn thief for you?" asked Caradoc amusedly. "How about I just buy you some in Hogsmeade?"

"How about you just walk me to Defense Against the Dark Arts first period?" Emmeline retorted. Caradoc smiled.

"Brilliant."

Lily was relieved as everyone rose to go on their ways, with Dorcas pausing only to send off her owl with a roll of parchment attached. James stayed.

"What's on your mind, Lily?" he asked. Privately, James hoped it had nothing to do with that immeasurable arse Rosier, and he hoped even more that she wouldn't blow him off. Therefore, he was surprised but not displeased when Lily answered slowly,

"James, we need to talk. I have a free after D.A.D.A. Can you be in the Astronomy Tower then?"

"Sure," he said slowly, a foreign flicker of nervousness kindling in his mind. Lily managed a grateful smile.

"Thanks," she said. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah…" he answered, standing up, "but you didn't have anything to eat."

"I ate before you got here," she lied, grabbing her satchel. James put his hand on Lily's and she briefly looked up and met his eyes. James knew she was lying of course, but there was some strange electricity that signaled just how far a lie went for either of them. He sighed and put his arm around her as they left the Great Hall.

Just as they stepped over the threshold, a shriek erupted from the Slytherin table. James smiled. He and Sirius had placed Grow-Your-Own-Warts ingredients in Rosier's pumpkin juice.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was lively and involved Professor Marsh's idea of fun: wizard duels with all of the spells from the fifth chapter of their spellbooks. Even the faint welts on her arms could not stop Lily from hurrying straight off to the Astronomy Tower while James went to make his excuses before joining her. This gave her a few extra minutes to shiver at the top of the frosted tower, which was many uncomfortable meters away from the nearest burning fireplace. Stomping her feet to keep warm, Lily realized that a cloak might have been a good idea just as one was tossed over her shoulders. She whirled around; James was standing there, smug in his own black cloak, and pulling on his thick gloves.

"Forgetful much, Lily?" He grinned. Lily tried to grin back, and it did not succeed. She felt like she might vomit.

"James, we really need to talk. I… I don't quite know how to tell you this but—well, we can't be overheard." Fiddling with the hem of her cloak, Lily gave a perfunctory glance to the trap door and kicked it once to be sure it was totally stuck in place. A slight click confirmed her first fears, but only opened the floodgates of conversation.

"Lily, what are you on about?" said James gently, taking a step towards her and suddenly, pausing almost as if struck in the face. "Are you ending it?"

"James, no. It's not like that, it's not you," she said hurriedly, not allowing herself to warm at his obvious relief. He ran his hand through his hair.

"What could it be then?" James grinned, arrogant once more. "I can't see anything else that would show a serious problem—"

"James, I know," Lily said, and it was almost a sob. She had rehearsed numerous and graceful discussions, in which she would eloquently display her recognition of Remus as a werewolf and James would simply tut-tut and refuse to do his homework as usual. None of those came to mind now. "I know I shouldn't've, and I wasn't trying to snoop, but it just sort of formed in my head and I had to know—"

"Wait, wait," said James, waving his hands and no longer smiling, "You know what now? What's got you in a twist, Lily? What do you know?"

"Remus," she said softly, and James blanched. His face was truly white, like snow or sugar. James opened and closed his mouth, then opened it again, but no sound emerged except a strangled kind of croak. His breath whooshed out and he said sharply on the uptake,

"You're talking about…?"

"Yes," she replied in a small voice. "He's a werewolf—"

"Lily!" shouted James, horrified. He latched onto her shoulders. "Who else knows? Did you tell Marlene, or Emmeline, or—"

"No," she said forcefully, restraining herself. "I…I just figured it out for myself—" James let his hands fall slowly, slowly. He ran his hand through his hair once more and paced a few steps back and forth before exhaling loudly, standing on the opposite side of the battlements from Lily.

"Why did you do it, Lily?" he asked quietly, looking defeated rather than angry. "Why d'you need to think about it at all?"

"I didn't mean to!" she cried while trying not to cry. "It clicked when those prints came up in Care of Magical Creatures! And I don't know what _you_ lot do during his transformations, but it seems like he's certainly tangling with a lot of great beasts in the Forbidden Forest—"

"Lily, no," said James hurriedly, trying to halt this tidal wave of painful accusation. "Just stop, okay? Look, I've got to talk to Remus about this—"

"About this? Me finding out? I dunno if I'm the only one James!" she said on a near scream. Lily was not quite sad anymore, although she was not quite angry yet either. Yet how dare James lose his cool at a time like this? She, Lily, needed answers and explanations and comfort and he was not giving in at all— "By the looks of things, it seems pretty damn fair to say that Snape and Rosier and those goons know about it too—"

"SNAPE KNOWS," shouted James, grabbing Lily's whole attention, "because Dumbledore had to tell him. Because of… of us I guess. Snape saw him, a little too close really, and…well…" He ended awkwardly, no longer loud. Lily's mouth was open in horror and sadness; she knew how much it would've hurt James to have Snape hold this secret of his fellow Marauder. And how dangerous and miserable this entire enterprise was. And although it was not the first time, Lily felt a little sorry for James and Sirius and Peter, a lot sorry for Remus.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking away over the lake. "I realize that this is probably private, and that it must hurt very much—"

"Lily," said James pleadingly, "let me just talk to Remus, okay? I swear, swear, that I'll answer some questions. As many as he lets me. You understand that, don't you Lily? You have to."

Lily cast her gaze reluctantly to James. He was pleading, he was begging, with his eyes and hands as much as with his heart. To let her understand, to let her be satisfied, to let her keep their secret. Lily knew what was expected of her, and she also knew that if Remus explained his situation, her life (and her life concerning James) would never be the same again. _He doesn't look like a boy_, she thought faintly. _I think, somewhere along the line, while I was looking the other way, James Potter grew up._

"Fine," replied Lily finally, "no problem. Take all the time you need." James took three long steps and caught Lily up in his arms, holding her as tightly as he had ever held onto anything. Lily buried her head in James' cloak and gave a quiet, muffled noise of emotion. A virtue of a hug was that one didn't need to confront the other's face.

**The blow up of Lily and James is over. Resolution and afterwards is the next chapter. I typed a whole lot of this chapter in one sitting, so pardon any grammar or spelling. I tried to get it out quickly.**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READS AND REVIEWS!**


	35. Animals Out of the Bag

It was just before dinner when James had a breathing space to talk to Remus. He managed to tag Remus alone in the common room. Nearly deserted due to early or late meal goers, James had a precious moment to himself while Sirius was walking Greta Catchlove back to her room and Peter was doing something in the library. James took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. This would not be easy.

James approached his friend. Remus sat in an armchair, poring over his copious Transfiguration notes, crows' feet slightly creased between his brows. James shook his head; Remus would worry himself into an early death if allowed to. _Then again_, said a sly voice in the very back of James' mind, _Remus has an awful lot to worry about when Snivellus knows that he's a werewolf_.

James seethed at that thought. Even one month ago, he could hardly have imagined hating Snape as much as he did now. Something like venom was running in his veins all the way to his heart. That snide bastard had gone too far when he let Rosier and his gang in on Remus' condition.

Remus looked up and offered a small smile to James, who was standing in a vicious standstill while thinking of all the reasons to destroy Snape. James realized that his own face probably looked like that of a bitter old woman.

"Don't look at me like that, Prongs. You've no problems at all. I know you understand all this Transfiguration rubbish."

"Remus, mate. I've got to tell you something."

"What? Not at dinner?"

"No, it's—"

"What's doing?" asked Sirius, emerging from the portrait hole with a grin. "I took a short cut to meet back here."

"Listen," said James, now in an urgent undertone, "this concerns all four of us. Lily _must_ be brought into the dorms tonight, she—"

"Prongs, mate!" said Sirius with a impressed expression. "I didn't know you'd gotten her to—"

"_No_. Padfoot, you git, now listen to me. _We've_ all got to be there too, _all_ four of us and her, because something happened today that we've got to fix—"

"What is it, Prongs?" asked Remus, sitting up and concerned. "Is there a problem?"

"Slytherins?" suggested Sirius sharply.

James shook his head. Both Remus' and Sirius' faces were etched with concern. He knew that either of them would dive into action at a moment's notice, just to protect each other or him. It made it even harder, in a way, because James felt responsible for Lily, like he should have fooled her more completely. He'd just have to get it over with; the door to the girls' rooms was opening and James knew Marlene could not be allowed to overhear.

"Moony, it's about you," said James. Remus paled.

"What about me?"

"Lily knows," said James softly. "I didn't tell her. She just figured it out. We've got to talk about this."

Remus let the schoolbook slide from his hands. He was as grey as James had been white only hours before.

"Prongs, no."

James nodded miserably. "Yes. D'you see why we need to talk?" he whispered.

Remus weakly inclined his head, hardly even noticing when Marlene put her hand on his shoulder and snapped the Transfiguration book shut. Lily stood behind her, and James gave the affirmative to their evening meeting without ever saying a word. Lily accepted it with a bowed head.

James cast a sideways glance at Sirius. His best mate in the entire world was simply shaking his head, every so slightly, and otherwise he looked like a blank slate. James, however, had spent so much time around Sirius that he could discern the other boy's "wide-eyed-and-thinking-rapidly-blank-slate" face from his "oh-shit-do-not-catch-me-because-I-am-an-innocent-black-slate" face, and this one was the former. Even though Sirius did not drag his end of the dinner conversation, he must have been totally preoccupied. That blank-slate face was still set over what must have been one hell of a brainstorm, perhaps akin to the one that had been raging in James' mind since earlier that day. Sirius and James understood each other's dinner objectives: try not to make anyone ask more questions than necessary. Only Lily and Remus lagged at the meal, mumbling and fumbling with their utensils while upsetting the condiments.

The third time that James had to right the salt shaker was the first time that Emmeline (the craftiest of Lily's friends) became suspicious. She narrowed her dark eyes and gave the minutest of shifties to Lily (who was busily buttering her spoon) and then one to Remus (who had accidentally poured pepper all over Peter's hand). Sweat beaded the nape of James' neck. He caught Emmeline's eyes and mouthed a "no," with the understanding of a conversation at a later date. Although unsatisfied, Emmeline elbowed Dorcas and stood up.

"I'm going to get a start on that Transfiguration rot. We have Quidditch tomorrow, James?"

"Right after dinner."

"Excellent. See you later." Emmeline left, whispering something to a quizzical Dorcas before being accosted by Caradoc Dearborn.

After that, dinner passed in a flash. For Lily, it was a hazy sort of flash that culminated in a dimly-remembered walk to Gryffindor Tower, during which James knocked the detested Wilkes into a suit of armor that was sent falling with a redoubled crash. Lily received the vague idea that Rosier had been helping Wilkes up with a great amount of swearing and vicious oaths, but she was lost in thought. Sirius ushered the Gryffindors into the Portrait Hole and moved immediately for the boys' stairs. Lily turned now to Marlene.

"Listen, Marlene. I'm going to go with them." Marlene was off guard.

"Lily, what are you doing?"

"I'm just…just going to speak with James, that's all. He wanted to talk to me about something, and I think he wants Sirius there too. I don't quite understand it myself."

"Erm…if you say so," she replied, puzzled. "I suppose Remus is going up too?"

"I believe so, but James hasn't told me too much." Lily changed tact quickly. "I'll be up later tonight?"

"Oh sure," said Marlene easily. "I'll see you then, Lily."

"Bye, Marlene." They parted ways. James took Lily's arm and led her to the opposing chambers. Even at this point in the werewolf proceedings, Lily blushed pink and red because she knew what this situation must look like to any observer in the common room.

When James had opened the door to his room, Lily was nearly blown over by the strong scent of some incredibly overpowering (if still insanely delectable) cologne. Sirius was spraying it like aerosol an air freshener as Peter scurried to shove a pile of clothes under one of the beds. The scene would have been entirely ludicrous if not for Remus, sitting hunched over on his bed and staring off into the wall. Sirius offered a smile that was two parts charm and one part embarrassment. Lily laughed at the last minute tidying up. Even James cracked a smile as he shut the door behind them.

"Sit," James offered, indicating one of the canopy beds. Lily lowered herself gingerly onto the edge, for it must have been James' bed and this would be very strange. Sirius flopped gracefully onto another bed as Peter settled into his. James took a seat next to Lily and put his arm reassuringly around her, his fingers gently scrabbling for hers. She laced her hand into his and waited.

Silence reigned for a few tense moments. Then Sirius spoke, tiredly rubbing his eyes.

"We all know why we're here. Or at least, somewhat. How are we going to do this? Moony?"

"Let Lily tell everything she thinks is right, and I'll fill in the rest," muttered Remus directly into his kneecaps. James squeezed Lily's hand and she was beyond grateful for that, though she would not look into his face. Lily took a deep breath and began.

"It all started with that Care of Magical Creatures class. Rosier and Snape seemed so…gleeful; and that was a warning sign. They're usually only happy if someone else is hurt." Sirius snorted. Lily continued.

"But it was just a set of prints, right? Then Professor Grubbly-Plank didn't tell us what had made them. She pretended not to know. I thought it was odd. And then every single one of you looked uncomfortable, and the whole mess was stranger than before."

"We gave ourselves away?" asked Peter, alarm in his small eyes.

"No, no," amended Lily hastily. "Not quite. You see, I couldn't place those mysterious tracks either, until Marlene mentioned something to me." The back of Remus' head disappeared as his face shot into view.

"What?"

"No, not that," soothed Lily again. "Marlene doesn't know about…er, you. She just mentioned something about your midnight adventures. And, well, I sort of realized that they were on a pretty regular basis. Then I remembered that those were…wolf prints. Werewolf prints. And you lot only go out when Remus is ill. Or not ill but, oh when he's not feeling all that well. And then I remembered other things, like James' arm at Hogsmeade only just after you'd all gone. I…I couldn't help getting it after that, lunar charts and all." She had not meant to, but Lily had pretty much ended up pleading. Asking for forgiveness for her part in this whole affair. Lily was feeling sorry, so sorry, sorrier than she almost ever had in her life.

"What a thing, to be a werewolf…" she mumbled in conclusion. James' arm tightened around her.

"So what now?" he questioned, eyes flickering briefly to Remus. "We leave it at this?"

"No," answered Remus, finally sitting up and turning to Lily. "We'll tell her the truth."

"_Everything_?" asked Sirius. "Moony, are you—"

"Sirius, face the facts. I've muddled the situation enough—"

"What, by being a werewolf?" demanded Sirius in outrage. "Naturally, we all blame you for _that_, Moony, you bloody idiot—"

"—and so," continued Remus unwaveringly, "it'd be useless to _not_ tell Lily the whole of it. You've got to see, Padfoot, that she'll figure it out sooner or later. It would be lying, really, to not mend things now—"

"You don't have to, Moony," said James quietly. "I guess it's a little of my fault too—"

"That's ridiculous!" cried Lily. "Remus, don't feel pressured into doing anything. You four idiots are jumping over each other to take the 'blame'—and none of you is to blame—because you all seem to have the same absurd sense of guilt and honor—"

"I don't," put in Sirius.

"—but you didn't do anything wrong. I don't care if you _don't_ tell me another word," she added belligerently. "And yes, Sirius, you do have it, or you wouldn't be friends with them."

"I think James is right," chimed Peter. "Remus doesn't have to say—"

"But I _want_ to!" announced Remus loudly. Every mouth immediately closed, as if a switch had been thrown. Remus looked quite fierce, and definitely shaken out of his earlier depression.

"I'm tired of lying to everyone," he said softly. "I'm tired of making Prongs lie. I'm tired of this problem being in the way of everything. So if no one else minds, I think I'll share everything with Lily. All right?" No one challenged Remus at this point. No one could. Sirius stared down at his hands. Remus sighed.

"Okay. Lily. This is how it is, but you can't say a word—"

"I wouldn't tell!" she interrupted fiercely. James was pleased at his fireball's indignation.

"—to anyone," ended Remus. He was more serious and stern than she had ever seen him. "I mean to _anyone_. Friends, teachers and…even Dumbledore. Can you promise to stay quiet? Even to your mother, or your father, or your sister, or you gran—"

"Remus," said Lily gently, moving from cougar to confidant. "I swear. I mean it, Remus. I swear by everything."

"And," continued Remus uncomfortably, "if you and Prongs should ever…erm…if you both decide to not—"

"Yes, of course, it will still be s secret," interrupted Lily, not liking a certain slimy feeling that bubbled through her stomach when Remus hinted at a possibly eventual breakup. James' sudden stiffening told her that he did not much fancy that idea either.

Remus paused, on the edge of changing the Marauders forever. He collected his thoughts quietly while biting his lip in thought. Waiting for this nearly killed Lily, and she very quietly snuck her hand into her robes to procure a sherbet lemon. She tried to open the wrapping discreetly, but of course crinkle wrap is not a thing that can be controlled. In seconds the blasted candy had shifted to a deeper part of her pocket. Lily focused on reaching delicately farther; and she succeeded in putting her fingertips around it before it slipped again. Finally, Lily enfolded it into her hand and noisily slid the wrappings off. She triumphantly drew the candy from her robes and lifted it to her lips.

A snicker broke, first from Sirius and then accompanied by a snort of disbelief from her loyal boyfriend. Remus cracked the first smile she had seen all day, and Peter chortled on the edge of his bed. She realized that they had all been staring at her.

"What?" she asked, popping the tricky sherbet lemon into her mouth. "I like them."

"A lot?" asked Sirius goadingly. Lily found that she had managed to defuse most of the tension by sneaking a candy. She was understandably pleased.

"Yes," answered Lily, on the defensive. "A whole whopping lot. Now what were you saying, Remus?"

"Here we go," he said. "I'm a werewolf. I was bitten very early on. The short version of all of this is that my parents didn't reckon that Hogwarts would take me in, but then again there was no harm in asking Dumbledore. Dumbledore allowed me in, albeit with a few extra rules. I go with Madam Pomfrey once a month to the Shrieking Shack."

"But how do you get there?" asked Lily curiously. "It's a longish way to the Shrieking Shack for a moonlit stroll with the nurse right across the grounds and through the village."

"There's a tunnel," Remus said, sitting back against his bedpost. "From under the Whomping Willow. Just for me. You…you kind of, er, prod the tree into letting you in—"

"How?" asked Lily before realizing how Remus really was not obliged to tell her anything. "Wait, sorry. I shouldn't—"

"You hit this knot in the trunk and the willow stops whomping," answered Remus. "I didn't mean to avoid the question, I've just used to covering up. Now then, I transform in the Shrieking Shack. It isn't haunted. Dumbledore just encourages that for my benefit." Remus' voice grew pained.

"When I'm human again, I come back here. Of course, saying that my sick mother or sick aunt needed me on a monthly basis, well…let's just say it didn't always work with James and Sirius and Peter. There are only so many excuses that you can give to your mates before they—"

"—stop believing them," finished Sirius. "Prongs and Wormtail and I found out about Remus'—"

"—furry little problem," explained James. Here Remus smiled. "Moony was a little hesitant to blab at first, but we brought him to see our way of thinking."

"Mainly, they threatened to kill me if I didn't let them in on it," said Remus, not without a little bit of cheer. "From then on, they knew. Then, the, er…next step involved a few years, lot of danger and probably bits that you won't like to hear."

"What happened?" Lily asked eagerly. The boys all looked at each other.

"We're Animagi," said Sirius quietly. Lily grinned.

"No."

"Yes," said James with all seriousness. In fact, all of the boys looked solemn. As if they _were not_ joking.

"But, no…" said Lily, now a little unsure. Remus nodded.

"It's true. They are." The bottom dropped out of Lily's stomach and she swallowed her sherbet lemon nearly whole. Almost every sensation in her body was now entirely unpleasant and slippery. _Animagi?_

"You… you can't be," she stuttered. "There's a registry, and procedures, and you're under the age—"

"We know," smiled Sirius. "But we are. And every full moon, we give Moony more potential for grey hairs because we break him out of the Shrieking Shack to run round the countryside."

"But we haven't hurt anyone," put in Peter convincingly.

Lily was speechless. Struck dumb. Effectively muted.

"In conclusion," said Remus, "those werewolf tracks from the Care of Magical Creatures Class were mine during my transformation. The dog was Padfoot. The stag was Prongs. And Peter was still in the Forbidden Forest at the time."

"Oh." Lily swallowed weakly.

Some minutes later, James nudged Lily's shoulder.

"Doing okay?"

"Yeah," she replied, still staring ahead at precisely the same spot on Sirius' opposing bedposts. James grinned.

"Look, it may be hard to believe, but—"

"Does Dumbledore know?" Lily asked quietly. James' smile slipped.

"No. Not about the Animagi thing, or how we go out with Remus. No one but the people in this room know. And, yeah," he said as Lily opened her mouth to argue, "it's not smart to do, and we're sorry and all that about not telling him, but then he'd keep Remus caged up. Even Dumbledore wouldn't be that liberal with a werewolf."

"Fine," said Lily simply. She could tell that James—and the rest of the Marauders—were uncomfortable about this situation with the headmaster. And obviously they were still not quite sure they were doing the right thing. _All Animagi_… Lily sighed.

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," she whistled softly, at last lifting up her eyes.

"You bet your caldron we are," said Sirius with a smile. He arched his eyebrows suggestively. "Want to see a demonstration?"

"Padfoot," barked James as Lily laughed and shook her head fondly.

"Sirius, from you—of course." Sirius stood up on his bed and winked.

"Brilliant." He then turned into a dog.

Lily's chuckle caught in her throat and she nearly choked on it. _He…he was just there and now he's not, and oh hell what have I got myself into?_ An enormous boarhound (or maybe a mutt, or it could have been anything really) panted loudly where Sirius had stood, thumping the pillow with his long tail. He was as black as his name suggested, and as doggy too, and he gave a delighted bark.

"That's…that's—"

"—hot," finished Sirius as he flowed back into a teenager.

"I…I think I need a minute here," said Lily, shakily breaking a smile.

"Nope. Too late for that," said Sirius. "Wormtail, you next."

Peter shrunk and grew fine beige fur one moment, popped out a tail, and in the next he was a rat. Sirius transformed into a dog and _woof_ed merrily. He took a flying leap off his bed and commenced in chasing a squealing Wormtail round and round the furniture while Remus rolled his eyes and laughed nonetheless. Just as Sirius had him cornered, Peter turned back into a nervously smiling boy, which threw Sirius onto his back. He gave a mournful howl. It was impossible not to be caught up in the obvious pleasure Sirius took in his animal form.

Sirius rounded on Lily next; and he bounded over in one jump. Concentrating enormously, he sat back on his hind legs and placed his forepaws on either of Lily's shoulders (easy to accomplish at his height). James clicked in tongue in disgust, only inciting Remus and Peter more.

Lily stared back into Sirius' soulful eyes, like and unlike those of a human Sirius Black. Then his broad muzzle split into a doggy smile of mischief and he licked her face with one _shlurp_ of his pink tongue. James shoved his furry snout away with one hand. Sirius rolled over and made a frightful wheezing noise that substituted for his canine laugh.

"Padfoot, Christ!" James shouted, trying to hold in a grin while Lily wiped her drooly face and wrinkled up her nose. "Why makes you think I'd let you lick my girlfriend in _either_ form?"

Sirius lashed his tail against his legs and ran at Lily and James, transforming seconds before crashing straight into them and bashing James' skull into the headboard. James hollered a dirty string of curses (from under a prison of rumpled blankets) while Sirius and Lily laughed helplessly, Lily's head lodged firmly in James' stomach and Sirius splay-legged over the bed. James heaved both Lily and Sirius off of him. James gently rolled Lily onto her side while he fairly threw Sirius onto the floor, where Sirius gasped for air. Remus and Peter had given up all hope of composing themselves. James scowled and trotted towards his nightstand to retrieve his glasses from the floor. Lily smiled warmly as James and Sirius began to bicker about licking or not licking each other's steady dates. They really did fight like brothers. _In an extremely dysfunctional family_.

Sirius turned to Lily. "In your opinion, was I better than James?"

Lily would have given him a sharp answer if not for James, who chose that moment to finally turn into a stag and butt Sirius with his antlers. Sirius retreated quickly onto his mattress, warding off the stamping animal with a pillow. From her angle she was not certain, but Lily could have sworn that the stag rolled its eyes. With one graceful prance of its hooves, the stag turned back to Lily.

He was majestic. The creature before her could certainly not be the boy that had asked her to Hogsmeade since fourth year, or driven her mad fifth year, or kissed her seventh year. No, the stag could not be any of these things. This was a noble beast, all powerful legs and smooth fur the color of fresh cocoa powder. His great branches of antlers sprawled into a crown of bone atop his well-sculpted head, and Lily could not take her hands away.

"Gosh," she breathed, petting the stag's velvety nose. "Very beautiful—handsome, rather. Very handsome indeed…"

"Dammit, Prongs. I knew letting a female in on this would be a bad idea," complained Sirius loudly and amusedly. "Falling all over herself, and patting your conk. Repulsive."

"Shut it, Padfoot," said James The Human Boy, removing Lily's hand from his nose. "You're just jealous because you attacked her too fast for her to fall all over you. Not that she would have," he smirked, obviously pleased with himself and pulling Lily up close to him. He could have kissed her right there. Sirius booed and Peter tossed a pillow at the offending twosome. James and Lily laughed.

"Really, Prongs, save it for the wedding. It's like seeing Mum and Dad together," said Remus disgustedly, "which is just too uncomfortable."

"I didn't know you had maternal feelings about me, Remus," joked Lily.

"Lily, don't you want to hear about our Map and James' Invisibility Cloak?" Peter said happily. Lily leaned back to look James in the face.

"What?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. James gave a hesitant smile.

"This is…er, possibly illegal too."

"Hah! Would it be anything else?"

After a moment's pause, James added,

"Maybe you ought to sit back and have a sherbet lemon."

Lily shrugged and complied, sitting on the floor this time. She tore into another sucker.

**Dun, duh dun dun! Sometimes I am reading a story, and I just have to stop because one part strikes me as so false that I can't go on. The Marauders-Animagi Revelation sequence is usually one of them. If anything about this seems really off to you, please please and PLEASE say something! I don't want to kill the story. And, you know, if it is good I'd like to hear that too.**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READS, AND EVERYONE WHO REVIEWS!**

Edit:** BIG DOINGS NOTE! I have been rereading my story from the beginning, and I have decided that several small changes need to be made in order to stop me from sounding like an illiterate gorilla. There will be no major plot changes, but just a few lines/grammar/word changes here and there. The bottom line is that if you see the first chapter is slightly different, do not worry. This also may slow down the updates, even though if I were much slower I'd be going backwards and deleting chapters. Of course if you have got this far, there is no real reason to read the polished version all over again. However, if there was a chapter (or a paragraph, line, or description in a chapter) that you felt was ridiculous and/or detrimental to the story (it lowered your reading experience and/or intelligence), please tell me so that I can be sure to fix it. If something about especially the beginning of the story struck you as queer, please mention it too. And if these nasty parts exist but you just don't want to say anything because you are unhelpful, then this is good for you because I might be fixing it (although you ought to know that _I want_ to know about these things). Thank you and goodnight!**


	36. A New Secret

**Note: If you are going to read this chapter, you have to go to the end. There is a little twist near the bottom and I don't want anyone to give up reading at one part without getting to the end explanation. I've done that before, and I assure you that this story hasn't totally gone off the wall. At least, I don't _think_ so.**

After taking in their Animagi forms, Lily found that absorbing the Marauders' map was a breeze. She was—for the second time that day—marveling over how truly talented those four were. Nothing struck her about the Marauder's Map so much as the genius—and dedication to mischief—that had obviously gone into its creation. Its complexity fascinated Lily and when the Marauders let her use her own wand to call up that fluid floor plan of Hogwarts, she peered interestedly at the minute spider writing that labeled every soul in the school.

"Conceived in love, crafted in mayhem," announced Sirius proudly. "Like my own bastard child." James snorted.

"Padfoot, please never start a family. And don't go anywhere near mine."

"What does the map do if you don't know how to use it?" asked Lily, who had learned to ignore Sirius and James as much as possible and was examining the dots in the Gryffindor Tower. "Is it just parchment then?"

"_Just_ parchment? You underestimate us, Lily," smirked James. He muttered the proper "Mischief managed!" and so wiped the map clean. "Tap it with your wand, but be sure to say who you are."

Lily squinted suspiciously around the room. Four different versions of the same anticipatory, beaming grin met her eyes. She sighed and laid the tip of her wand on the parchment.

"I, Lily Evans, want to…er, use this map."

Flowering ink curled into four distinct messages that had Lily laughing in a moment.

_Mr. Moony is confounded to admit that indeed, Mr. Prongs must have had some success this term if Miss Evans is reading this message._

**_Mr. Prongs declares his undying love for Miss Evans, and reminds her that she looks exceptionally stunning today simply because she is alive and with him._**

**Mr. Padfoot strongly urges Miss Evans to run while she still can.**

Mr. Wormtail is particularly happy that Miss Evans is not Severus Snape, or else the parchment would be sodden with oil by now.

"Excellent messages this time!" said James briskly while Sirius snickered.

"But how did you _do_ all of this?" Lily exclaimed. "This is advanced, this is complicated, this is so much more than any of you ever do on a piece of homework—"

"We just have our priorities in order," cut in Sirius over Remus' mellow objections. "What would you want more, an essay on flobberworms or a moving map of the Hogwarts grounds?"

"No contest," breathed Lily, immensely engrossed in the map. She was turning it over in her hands and studying it like she might study a logic puzzle or a hidden key in a lock. Lily tried a non-verbal revealing spell with her wand, which emitted a small puff of cloudy white light and no results. She knew that the Marauders were exchanging amused looks but she did not care. Another spell did nothing and Lily's final incantation ended up with a large pink begonia bursting out of her wand. She frowned and removed the flower as the Marauders laughed uproariously.

"Come now, Lily," said James, removing her wand hand from the Map. "Don't try and spoil our fun."

"But there's a…a mechanism," she answered distractedly. The Marauder's Map was practically a magical artifact. "You... layered, maybe? One charm over another with—"

"Moony thought of most of it, so you'd need to ask him," interrupted James. "He did what seemed like _ages_ in the library. The Pince nearly had his head after a while. But he wouldn't tell even if you did ask him because he is a Marauder. Right, Moony?"

"Not to mention that I'm not even entirely sure how this all worked, but yes," grinned Remus. "Besides, Prongs and Padfoot put most of it into the parchment. They're better at magic than me."

"I bought the parchment," said Peter cheerfully. "And looked through some books with Moony."

"Yep, Wormtail actually got us the stuff we needed for some bits," acknowledged James. Peter glowed with pride. "He was able to slip out and get some, er… essentials while we were technically supposed to be sleeping."

"How did you manage to pass any classes sixth year, if you were making this?" demanded Lily. James only winked. Lily sighed.

"You four probably know more about Hogwarts than even Dumbledore."

"I hope so," said Sirius. "We've crawled over every part of it at least twice."

"Even the girls' rooms?" asked Lily slyly. The boys blushed.

"We're still working on that one," conceded Sirius. Then his cockiness returned. "No fear, Lily. You can see Prongs whenever you want without him popping out from under your bed. The rest of us certainly don't want to see him."

"Our secret world isn't all that glamorous, Lily, as Padfoot is constantly revealing" Remus said with a slight smile. "We're mostly a gang of troublemakers who've just gone beyond our callings. Then of course, compared to other students, we also—"

"—tell better stories," interjected Sirius. "Like when we found out in first year that Moony had been shaving his face on and off since he was nine."

"No!"

"Yes!" rang in James. Lily sensed that James and Sirius were getting into their strides now, and soon there would be a lot of embarrassing memories flying back and forth. Remus must have sensed it too.

"Maybe we should—"

"Moony, everyone here knows your big secret," waved off Sirius insouciantly. "What harm can be in filling in a few more details for Lily? As a matter of fact, what about when we discovered you had a thing for Madam Pomfrey—"

"I did not have a _thing_ for Madam Pomfrey!" said Remus hotly. Lily laughed; she knew Remus' annoyance spurred James and Sirius on to far greater heights.

"Oh, I think you did," smirked James. "Remember second year, when you gave her flowers on Christmas—"

"—they were in a package from my mother!" exclaimed Remus. "_I_ couldn't use them!"

"—or what about when Moony chased that rabbit through Hagrid's pumpkins—"

"—or when Filch's kitten went for Wormtail—"

"—or when Prongs' antlers caught on the Whomping Willow—"

"—or when Padfoot couldn't get his tail to disappear during fourth year Potions class and he accidentally—"

"Don't tell that story, Prongs," warned Sirius dangerously, and naturally this was the first tale that Lily heard.

She spent the rest of the evening as the rapt audience of the indomitable Marauders. Alternating among holding her sides, wiping her eyes, and begging for mercy, Lily learned of all of the stories that James would not have told her only days ago. The trials of being an Animagus and the dangers of looking for acromantulas were only two of the themes addressed in that wonderful time. Lily had never felt so much at home; the Marauders welcomed her like a sister into their brotherhood of misbehavior. Lily also guessed that they had been aching to brag about all of their misadventures since they started. She could not hold it against them because Lily knew that if _she_ had learned how to swim in the lake (like Peter had) she would certainly tell the story.

It was at ten o'clock when Lily finally wrenched herself away, wiping her tears and still giggling.

"This was fun, so very fun, but James and I have to go patrol now."

"Leaving so soon?" exhaled Sirius on a shaky breath, still trying to smother his laughter from Remus' story about Moaning Myrtle.

"I'm afraid so. Even if we didn't have to go, I'd still have mountains of homework to finish. You're ruining my study habits you know."

"Then goodbye to studying," said James pleasantly, standing up and putting his arm around Lily. "Although to think, none of this would have been possible without Snivellus and his big mouth. And I hadn't thought that anything could be bigger than his nose…"

"That's right, it was all his fault," growled Sirius. He frowned slightly, his eyes narrowed. "I say, the next time we see him, we ought to chin that—"

"We should wait," said Remus quietly.

"Why?" said James with scorn. "As if he didn't deserve a good beating when he ignored Dumbledore's orders and told Rosier—"

"That's just it," explained Remus. "He obviously doesn't care about Dumbledore's orders. Bit scary, isn't it? I've got to think that there's something else going on."

"He should respect what Dumbledore said," shot back Sirius touchily. "I mean, it's not like Dumbledore told him to do something ridiculous, like bathing or not being a git. He told him to keep quiet about you being a werewolf, Moony, which is a damn well important subject—"

"Well, you didn't listen to Dumbledore either when you became Animagi," pointed out Lily. Sirius looked stricken.

"That's because we wanted to _help_ Moony, and I doubt that Snivelly has any inclinations to do the same—"

"That's true Lily," added Peter. "We wanted to keep Remus company, but Severus is probably going to do something mean. Why would he tell Evan Rosier for any other reason?"

"Wormtail's right," said James. "We're all right. I think if Moony says to wait, we'll wait. We don't know what Snape is planning."

"He needn't be planning anything," said Lily exasperatedly. "Why does every move he makes have to be part of some conspiracy?"

"Because it is," said Sirius, highly disdainful. "At least, it's been like that ever since—well, for a long while now. He hates us, Lily. He hates Prongs, he hates Moony, and he hates me and Wormtail. He's a spiteful arse. He told Rosier about Moony, didn't he? That was plain enough from their giggling earlier today."

"Fine then," conceded Lily. "I won't try to talk you out of it. All I ask is that you plan all of this later, when I'm in bed and after the halls have been patrolled."

Remus nodded. Sirius was inclined to be grouchy and gave in anyway, flopping back onto his pillow.

"Then we're off," announced James.

"And thank you for everything," smiled Lily. Sirius winked back.

"No, thank you," he said. "We've been waiting for a captive audience."

"Remember," Remus said anxiously, "this is all—"

"—completely secret," interrupted Lily. "Right. Got it. I promise not to mess up here, Remus. Sleep easy."

"Thanks."

"He won't," added Sirius. "But I will."

Lily flushed only once as she marched through the Common Room, arm-in-arm with James. Luckily it was nearly deserted, and Lily was fairly sure that no one would say anything about the circumstances (at least to her face). Only when Lily and James were checking on the Astronomy Tower did she mention James' Invisibility Cloak.

"How often do you use that thing?" she asked suspiciously.

"Not as much now that we've got a good map," replied James in an offhanded way. "But I still keep it with me, and it was put to good use between first year and now."

"Are you carrying it with you?" asked Lily with an edge of curiosity to her voice. "I've never seen one before."

"Of course you haven't seen one, they're Invisibility Cloaks."

"James, be serious. You make miserable puns. Can I see it?"

"I don't think you'll be able to, but if you want to try—"

"James," warned Lily. He had the temerity to laugh. Lily noticed that James was in a rather fantastically good mood.

"All right, Lily, since you asked so nicely…" James reached into the folds of his cloak and brought out a silvery bundle. They were on the stairs to the Astronomy Tower, and he looked once up and once down before he let the slithering material fall like a waterfall on his arms.

Lily ran her hands over the grey weave, marveling the sleek and curious feel of the fabric.

"Can I—" James cut her off by swirling the coat around once and settling it over his shoulder. She gasped out loud in shock. Even with all of her magical schooling, seeing something disappear—seeing a _person_ disappear—just like that, in front of her… Lily stifled another shriek when James' invisible arms reached out and pulled her close.

"Cool, huh?" he said smugly.

"This is, er, different," Lily said breathlessly. It looked like she was being hugged by the air while talking to James' head, a sensation that had only occurred one other time in a very strange dream during a high fever.

"Isn't it just?" smirked James, leaning in for a kiss.

"James, we really, really do have to check the hall—"

"We can go in a minute."

Five minutes later, they were safely at the base of the Astronomy Tower with the cloak tucked away once more.

"Where would you ever get something like that?" muttered Lily some time later, after they had fled Peeves in the Charms Corridor.

"Get wha—oh, the cloak. Right. Actually, my dad gave it to me."

"Is your dad just like you?' said Lily dryly. "Practically the title on Filch's list?"

"Nah, he's too old for Filch's time," said James neutrally. "Dad's not…well, he's a brilliant wizard and all that but he's not really like me. Or I'm not like him, I guess."

"You don't know where you get it from?"

James rumpled his hair with a grin. Lily made his disregard for rules sound like an inherited trait, maybe like unattached earlobes or a widow's peak. _Now that is a funny thought_.

"No. I don't know where I get _it_ from, whatever _it_ is. Maybe Mum, though she'd never admit it." Lily was thoughtful for a minute as their shoes clicked down a back staircase.

"I had always figured that you'd been seriously spoiled as a kid. Is that true?"

"Mostly, yeah," he said, and James said it in a way that was even-toned with a tang of apology. "I'm the only child—"

"I would have guessed that."

"—and both of my parents are a little, er, old. They had nothing else to spoil, not even a pet. Though my dad had a kneazle once, but Mum hates cats…"

"Oh," said Lily quietly. "I didn't mean the question to offend, you know."

"I know," answered James. "I have been known to be a bit of a…ah, let's say that I haven't been at my best on some occasions. You know I'm sorry for that now."

"Yes, I know you are," said Lily gently. "Let's check the dungeons and head back."

They did so. Lily and James had taken two full corridors of the slimy underground when a disquieting sound met their ears. James immediately took out his wand, and both Lily and James took care to walk more quietly.

The noise was coming from one of the dungeon classrooms; Lily realized that it was their own Potions room. The thick door was closed so that only a thumb's width of the inner room was visible. _Visible_ might have been a generous word, for it seemed as if the only light was a singular candle on the distant side of the room. The Head Girl and Head Boy crept to the doorway and listened at the narrow slit.

In the faint orange glow there was an outline of a smaller student seated in a chair. A somewhat familiar voice played on Lily's mind, a voice which she could not quite place.

"Did you want to see any more?"

"No, no I don't!" cried the silhouette.

"You took the dare from your friends," hissed the voice. "You came here at night. You came to see…and I showed the ghost to you, didn't I?"

"You did! Now can I go?" pleaded the boy.

"I don't know. What do you think, Salazar?" Lily heard the frightful noise of what sounded like chains being rattled and potion bottles smashed. The voice answered a moment later on a menacing sneer.

"He says no."

"Please, please, I want to go back to the tower!"

"Why don't you ask your Gryffindor ghost to come and help you?" sneered the voice. "Hmm? Slytherin answers the call of his own. You remember what will happen if anyone finds out about this."

"I do, I do," the boy sobbed. "But I have to—" In a split second before he did it, Lily knew that James was about to spring inside the room. The door crashed with a _bang_ and the boy screamed. Breathing heavily and wand at the ready, James looked around.

The scene inside was quite odd. There was only one person in the room, and he was a smallish first year with thick brown hair and squinty brown eyes. He was scrunched up on a chair in the center of the room with his hands balled up into fists and a bad shake running through his body.

"What happened?" snapped James, who peered under upturned chairs and behind desks. Lily went straight to the first year. He looked up at her defiantly, sticking out his chin. She recognized a boy that had been Sorted into Gryffindor, and now if only she could remember his name. Arnie, Archie…

"Arkie," she said suddenly. "Arkie…something…"

"Philpott," sniffled the boy, looking over Lily's shoulder with dark eyes. Lily whirled around to see only the blank wall, and James cursing as he searched the room and kicked rubbish bins. He seemed to be stamping unnaturally loudly.

"Listen Arkie, I'm Lily Evans. Do you know who I am?"

"You're the Head Girl. You get to go out at nights," he said sullenly. Lily could not help but smile because only a true Gryffindor would be belligerent after being found screaming in the dungeons. Nevertheless, the boy's face was that strange, knotty shape that indicated a person who was trying not to cry.

"I do. And what are you doing out tonight?"

"I don't know."

"_Really_? You don't know why you left your room?"

"I said I don't know," he repeated with a bit more volume. Lily stared him in the face.

"You didn't…make a bet with anyone—"

"Please don't ask me to tell!" said Arkie Philpott quickly, his eyes scattering around the classroom. He finally looked as young as his age. "I…I really can't."

"I can help you if you tell."

"No you can't," he whispered, and he looked away again. Lily sighed.

"You know I should take ten points away from Gryffindor, Arkie."

"But it's your own house!" he said, shocked. "You wouldn't do tha—"

"We're not going to," said James tersely, now looming over Lily and the first year. "Just tell us what happened."

"I can't, I can't!" he answered forcefully. "I'd get in trouble."

"You'll get in more trouble if you—" Lily laid a hand on James' arm to stop him.

"James was right. We won't take points away. Do you want to go to the dorms now?"

"Yeah…sure," he answered shakily. Lily braced Arkie's shoulders. James scowled and pulled his hand through his hair.

"Let's go straightaway, right James?"

"Fine," he snapped. And he had not yet put his wand away.

The walk back to the Common Room was uncomfortable. James was as wound up as clockwork and thinking as hard as he could. _A passageway? No, we know those. A spell? A potion? A charm for—_

"Goodnight, Arkie," called Lily. They were in the Common Room and James had not even realized it.

"Wait," said James. Arkie turned on the stairs and looked at him. Lily was watching him too, like she might need to leap forward and cover his mouth. She did not want him to distress the first year anymore than necessary. They could figure out this mystery on their own. _James isn't acting himself_.

"Arkie, that wasn't Salazar Slytherin's ghost or any rot like that," James said abruptly, making up his mind as to what to say. Lily's warning glare nearly threw James from his feet, although that had never stopped him before. Arkie Philpott's eyes grew like an owl's.

"Whatever Regulus was telling you isn't worth a—ahem, isn't worth a knut. It's always rubbish with those Slytherins, got that? Don't let them scare you."

"H-how did you know?"

"Trust me." James smiled for the first time since he had stridden towards the dungeons. Arkie offered a small grin and nodded.

"If you're sure—"

"I am."

"—then okay. Goodnight Lily, and goodnight James, and thanks!" Arkie hurried off to his room. Lily turned on James the instant the boy left.

"_James_. What the _hell_ are you talking about? You can't possibly have any idea of what happened! You just—"

"Lily," said James, "that was no ghost of Slytherin."

"I knew that!" she snapped.

"—but you didn't recognize that voice, did you? The voice of someone who would bully some little kid for his own fun?"

"No," conceded Lily grudgingly. "But we don't know what really went on there, James, it might have—"

"Lily, think about it. It's the Slytherins as always, except they've picked first years as their new bait and they have a few new tricks up their sleeves" said James stonily. "The voice we heard was Regulus Black!"

**There you have it! It wasn't a ridiculous sequence with Slytherin's ghost or anything, because it was just what James said it was. But why? And how? Who is involved? Why are they doing it? Could it have something to do with Voldemort? With Christmas break? With anything else? Hmm? _Hmm! _You'll find out next chapter, or at least I think so. I'm pretty sure, anyway. Don't give up! Review! Thank you!**

**Meantime, I'll have everyone know that Chapter 2 is spiffified, and that I just _had_ to punch out a Narnia one shot and get it out of my bloodstream. I'm sorry about the delay that caused, but it wasn't much of one. I was mostly just lazy, and caught up in exams. Feel free to read that story too.**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ AND ALL WHO REVIEW!**


	37. He's No Fool

For the life of her, Lily could not get this questionable situation out of her head. What were the Slytherins doing after hours? How come they no longer seemed afraid of the rules? How had that midnight scene happened if only Regulus had been inside and throwing potions bottles around? Even Petunia Evans would not have fallen for a supposedly-magic trick like that.

It stymied the Marauders as well. James and Remus were mostly focused on the idea of accomplices, and the means by which the Slytherins went about their mischief. Lily thought that it was this that mystery rendered Peter Pettigrew nervous and frightened. He spent more time glued to the hip of another Marauder. Peter must have been pushed around and tormented before, so Lily reasoned that he was simply hearkening back to harsher times. On the bright side of everything, Arkie Philpott now waved whenever he saw her or James, and Arkie became a very popular first year.

On the dark side, Sirius was livid. He had previously tripped, ridiculed, and sneered at his younger brother whenever he had seen him. His inclination to do these things had almost doubled. James told Lily after breakfast the next morning that it was all he could do to keep Sirius from going straight to the Slytherin rooms and killing his brother where he slept. Apparently, Sirius's fury had been unspeakable when he had heard about Regulus and Arkie (Remus mentioned lightly that the house elves would need to reupholster his pillows, and mend the wood of his bedposts.) Lily found out firsthand when Sirius came up to her during lunch in Great Hall.

"Had a nice time last night, Lily?"

"You heard what happened, Sirius," Lily replied. She was weary and drained, both from the antics of yestreen and her late night of Herbology stuffing. The load of work dropped on the seventh years that morning by Professor McGonagall and Professor Grubbly-Plank was both a cruel and unusual measure previously unseen by the horrified seventh years.

"I did hear of it," Sirius said grimly. His clenched hand drew Lily's female instincts for trouble like flames draw moths.

"Sirius, what is that in your hand? Something that will get you and James expelled?"

"Nothing so bad…" Sirius paused, and offered a smile. "They're for Regulus. A bag of peanut biscuits. Part of a master plan, you know." Lily squinted suspiciously.

"Hmm…I guess there's nothing so _very_ bad about biscuits, except obviously that you're bringing them to your brother. They're not enchanted?"

"No."

"Poisoned?"

"No."

"Portkeys?"

Sirius could only laugh in response.

"No, Lily. No Portkeys. As much as he deserves it, my brother will not be transported to the forests of Albania if he touches these biscuits."

"Good. Okay then." Seconds later, Lily's salad lunch was interrupted once more by Remus, who skidded into the hall looking extremely harassed.

"Where's Sirius?" he said abruptly.

"Why?"

"He took the peanut biscuits my mum sent me."

"So what?" answered Lily offhandedly. She was pouring over her Transfiguration notes when seconds later, she was roused by the shrieking yells coming from the Slytherin table.

Regulus Black was acutely allergic to peanuts. His throat was half closed before his writhing body could be taken to the Hospital Wing.

"Padfoot!" exploded James as the Gryffindors walked to Potions. Sirius' face was impassive. "You could have killed your own brother just now! Didn't sixth year teach you a bit about—"

"He wouldn't have kicked it from peanut biscuits, Prongs," Sirius replied coldly. "Besides, Moony did try to stop me. I take all the responsibility."

"But would you have taken the responsibility if Regulus had keeled over?"

"Then I would've taken _all_ the credit. And this is nothing like sixth year, Prongs."

"Let's keep it that way and not go off with these half-arsed plans again—"

James continued to expound for the rest of the day, alternating between gnashing his teeth and berating Sirius. For his part, Sirius was as deadpan as could be. Nothing about his actions seemed to greatly trouble him so that when Regulus walked into the Great Hall for dinner with a fierce glare, Sirius only smiled politely and kept at his stew.

Lily had nothing to say, feeling there were some areas that she ought not traverse this far into her relationship with the Marauders. She found it hard to have an opinion on what Sirius had done, only knowing it confirmed her notion that it would be highly unwise to become a dark witch if she were to remain alive until bedtime. It was probably Sirius whom Dumbledore should have recruited to police the school, and not Lily. He would have done something a little more tangible than she had in the Potions chamber, which was more like a ridiculous fiasco every time she mulled it over.

That evening, Lily skived off the Slug Club dinner to watch the Gryffindor Quidditch practice with Marlene. She sat far up on the sidelines, bundled in her comfiest cloak and scarf and clutching her Potions diagrams that she ought to have been studying. Watching the fliers circle the paddock again and again was soothing somehow, and Lily was greatly relaxed as her eyes lazily followed the smooth flight of James'.

He was flying marvelously, like always. James treated every practice like a match, and every match like the Quidditch World Cup. Lily knew well enough that any coherent conversation would need to be got out of James after the Quidditch fever left his brain. Her boyfriend was the most competitive person she knew (with the possible exception of Petunia, who might have given James a run for his money in a gardening tournament).

Marlene clapped from next to Lily as Emmeline managed a difficult pass to James, who made a complicated looping maneuver and slipped right past Warty Harris. _He ought to play for England_, thought Lily idly. _After Hogwarts_. Lily smiled as she thought how that thought would go right to James' head. But why not? Why, then she'd be dating a famous Quidditch player. Unless they were no longer dating—but no. Of course they would be. Then again, they might not be dating if they were already—

"Wake up, Lily!" cried Dorcas as she hurried into the stands, still clutching a letter of Fabian's in her gloved fist. Lily leaned back just in time to avoid an errant Bludger that Mallory Twiddle went tailing after apologetically. Dorcas nodded in a self-satisfied way and sat next to Marlene to watch Emmeline's vicious Keeping techniques.

"Twiddle!" called James with some ire. "It might be best to keep the Bludgers from _going_ _outside the pitch_ when we play Hufflepuff on Saturday—"

"I'm trying!" responded Twiddle plaintively. He took a swing at the Bludger that pelted it straight into the frozen ground. "I can't see anything in this light!"

James sighed, perturbed that the sun would persist in setting even during Quidditch practice.

"Fine. Bring it in!" he called out, and within two minutes Lily was on the pitch watching James swear at the Bludgers and wrestle them into their crate. She was laughing far before it was over, and James needed to shoot her an irritable look before Lily stifled herself.

"Nice practice, James."

"Eh," he waved, picking up the crate containing the enchanted equipment. "We could use more Beater work obviously, but the formation flying is better now. If that git Twiddle could get his glasses fixed, we'd be on our way to the House championship…" Lily let James carry on for a long time before she realized, once in the castle, that he was not leading them to the Portrait Hole.

"James," she interrupted, sidestepping his rant about Dirk Cresswell's blind spots, "where are we going?"

"To Dumbledore's," he said, surprised. "Professor Vector gave me the message. I did tell you, didn't I?"

"No." Lily fixed him with a green glare. James sighed.

"Slipped my mind, didn't it?"

"Yes."

"Well sorry. I meant to say something but—"

"I get it, James," replied Lily. He was as absented-minded as the proverbial professor if there was Quidditch involved. "No harm done."

"Excellent," he grinned. "Password's _Licorice Wand_." A massive gargoyle statue before them slowly revolved in place as the gateway to Dumbledore's chambers opened. Lily had never been in the Headmaster's office before, and she would have given her supply of sherbet lemons to know if James had known the password already before Professor Vector had told him. Within minutes, they were sitting down to hot tea in front of the Headmaster's desk as the wizard himself smiled from his chair. An empty bird perch stood behind him and he tied a rolled scroll to it as Lily looked on interestedly. The Headmaster of Hogwarts did not likely own a common barn owl.

"The tea is to your liking?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly, conjuring up a fat, white teapot with pink floral patterns. "I can pour some more if you'd like."

"No thanks. I'm, er, fine," said Lily awkwardly. "Sir." She sipped from the pale china and looked around the office. The walls were covered with portraits of sleeping, mumbling, and chattering witches and wizards, all many years dead and all the former Heads of Hogwarts. A witch with a thick, gnarled wand winked at Lily with her misshapen eye. Lily smiled with considerable hesitancy.

"To business, then, although I'll take some more Earl Grey myself." Dumbledore refilled his cup and took a sip. "Ah! There is nothing quite like a warm cup of tea. I think you've realized, however, that the reason I've called you here is nothing like a warm cup of tea."

"Mmmhah," rumbled James noncommittally. Lily simply nodded. Dumbledore paused delicately and the silence stretched thin before he continued.

"I have some news for you both. My contacts from outside of Hogwarts have sent me some directives, warning me among other things to guard my students against Lord Voldemort's influence. Do either of you have any idea what that might mean?"

Lily opened her mouth to speak but James got there first and answered, "Recruitment grounds." Dumbledore nodded. Lily was horrified.

"But why would he want kids, sir?" she asked. "Why students?"

"For the same reason I want you, Lily," said Dumbledore gently. "You are young. The youth are the future, and what better to do than to brainwash the young? Voldemort knows this, although he still places too much stock in important names and well-known families. Names only become important after those who bear them are given a chance." He cleared his throat.

"All of this is politics, however. I shouldn't want to trouble you with my own contributions to the battle against Voldemort."

"But we'd _like_ to know," replied James yearningly. Lily peered over at James, wondering if it was his desire to fight or his desire to help that prompted his interest. Dumbledore pursed his lips into a smile.

"And that would detract from your studies, which certainly you must like even more." James gave a snort of derision. Dumbledore chuckled softly.

"Your time will come, James, and probably sooner than you'd like. No, it is best if you know as little as possible for the present. I do not say that you will be in the dark forever." Dumbledore looked pained. "We'll need every helping hand before long, even if it should come in the form of a werewolf's paw, or as large as my head and attached to a giant's arm."

"So the Ministry is still claiming that Voldemort is a wizard's problem," said James swiftly. "My dad told me that they won't consider an alliance with the goblins or giants even though Bagnold reckons that Voldemort has approached them any number of—"

"Pardon me, but your fountain of information never ceases to amaze me, James," smiled Dumbledore. "It may also be said that goblins are known to be treacherous and unlikely to form a wizarding alliance. Then again, it is true that Gringotts is possibly as secure as the Ministry itself. Or Hogwarts, for that matter. Millicent Bagnold is in my opinion going through a rough patch after the death of her nephew this summer. But I did not ask you and Lily here to debate goblin liaisons, James. I would like to speak to you about this school.

"It has come to my attention that certain Hogwarts students have been implicated—due to their whereabouts over Christmas holiday—in several incidences that are not altogether wholesome. I have defended up until now every single student in this school. Most vigorously, I might add. However, I am unwilling to do so if it seems as if there is evidence of guilt." Dumbledore leaned in closer, prompting Lily and James to do so as well. The only sound was the whirring of the gently spinning silver device on his desk.

"A first year was overhead, Lily, talking about you. And how you and James apparently defeated Slytherin's ghost in Professor Slughorn's Potions chamber. I must say, you are two of the most popular Head Boys and Girls that Hogwarts has seen in a long time. You seem to have gained a following, Lily." She blushed and turned her eyes away. James looked proud for reasons she could not understand. Dumbledore smiled diplomatically.

"I see that Arkie has not yet approached you with his gift of Chocolate Frogs. I'd expect those sometime soon. But this brings us back to the matter at hand. What was Professor McGonagall to do when she observed this conversation taking place? She knows and I know and presumably you know that Salazar Slytherin ceased to live in the dungeons sometime before last night. So what did prompt this type hero worship, this admiration which you, James, have been the center of before?" A cold red rush of blood burned James' cheeks.

"At first, Minerva suspected some sort of prank. But none of Severus Snape's friends had come down with the measles, or an extra appendage, or a biting quill; and they are the usual…recipients of your mayhem.

"Then Madam Pomfrey revealed that Regulus Black had been in the Hospital Wing for an afternoon, recovering from an allergic attack. Nothing too troubling for a witch of Poppy's caliber, but serious enough for his symptoms. At this point, I might have taken some luxuries with my theory, but I suspected that you were not behind it and that this was not this event that had prompted young Arkie Philpott to spin your graces to his Transfiguration class. May I ask if I have been correct so far?"

Lily had no idea what James was feeling, but she was certainly flabbergasted. This meeting was never one that could have imagined, and she was grateful once more that she had never tried to undermine Dumbledore on any occasion. Lily nodded.

"Yes, that's it exactly."

"Mmm, I was afraid so. But I suppose it would be better not to prosecute Sirius Black for this? I feel like he might have had good reason."

"How do you know that he did it?" demanded James incredulously. "Did Regulus say—"

"Always ready to attack, aren't you?" quipped Dumbledore. "No, I believe Regulus Black felt the situation was too embarrassing to warrant prompting further inquiry. But everything about the allergy speaks of a sibling feud. Why, there was one time my brother Aberforth—"

"Sir, I'm sorry," said James, sounding nothing of the sort. "But does this mean that you know about what happened on our patrol?"

"Only as much as I could get Arkie Philpott to tell me, but I believe it was enough," answered Dumbledore. "From what I heard, I made two excellent choices last year in your appointments. It would be lying to say that I wasn't a tiny bit pleased. I won't ask for any further details from you."

"But we can tell—"

"No, Lily," Dumbledore replied gently. "Before it might have been different but say nothing to me now. If you tell me, I shall be forced to act immediately as Headmaster, which may not be in any of our best interests. Here is, I hope, an acceptable course of action. I shall want to be informed of any more nighttime incidents. Equally, I cannot allow Sirius Black further leeway in dealing with his brother. The staff is capable of handling one sixth year, and he will need to keep his…inclinations to himself."

"But you don't know what Regulus did—" James began hotly. Dumbledore raised his hand with decisiveness.

"Nor can I know, James." His voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. "The maxim is to keep your enemies closer than your friends. I now have both on my hands. What good would an expulsion do to possible Death Eaters? _It would put them directly in contact with Voldemort_. Any chance of putting their information to use would be gone. Think, James, with your head and not your heart. The choices we make are not always easy."

Lily caught a movement to her left and picked her head up to see the subjects of each portrait craning towards the conversation. An old man tutted at her. Dumbledore sat back mildly.

"Finally, faculty members will be in control of the rounds for the next month or so. I do not want to put too much on your respective shoulders with your N.E.W.T.s approaching very rapidly."

"Professor, we can handle our rounds," said James determinedly. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"Whether you can or cannot is out of the question. Mr. Filch is fixed in his belief that you have been loosening the chandelier each and every night, and this will be a chance to prove your innocence."

It might have been this last admission that made Lily decide—after much deliberation throughout the week—to never again doubt Albus Dumbledore.

**I know it is dialogue heavy, but I'm happy enough for all the time that it took. Chapter Three has been redone, and I promised my friend that I'd get this story out before my snow day was over.**

**THANKS TO EVERYONE, EVER.**


	38. Enemies, Quidditch, and Rings

And that seemed to be the end of it. Dumbledore was evidently a far more able patroller of the hallways than Lily, for the two heard of no further incidences the next morning. Lily thought privately that _she_ would not want to cross a slippered, night-capped, bath-robed Dumbledore holding a candelabrum in one hand and his wand in another.

Seventh year finally, _finally_ fell into what it ought to have been: a year to savor every last bit of Hogwarts and classes and the people in both, without miserable interruptions or shocking surprises. The dissolution of March surprised Lily, just as she was shocked when she woke up and found it to be April. Mentally, Lily sat in bed and went over her day. There was N.E.W.T. preparation in every morning class, and the seventh years were learning a new potion for Slughorn. Then lunch and the rest of the afternoon was a doss, then dinner, and then watching Quidditch practice until she stumbled back to the Gryffindor Tower and did her homework and went to bed. Dumbledore still had not relinquished control of patrols to Lily and James yet, but Lily did not mind. _Less work without them, and I see the best part of patrols in every class but Herbology_.

Life was extraordinarily busy. N.E.W.T.s bore down upon them and Lily was delighted to fit into the comfortable niche of knowing exactly what to be worried about, for the most part. Of course all of the Marauders studied with Remus and Lily because Sirius and James had taken no class notes whatsoever; and Peter's handwriting left much to be desired. James often joked that Lily had taken enough notes for the both of them. Studying, studying and studying were things that she was familiar with, not some scheme of Regulus Black's.

Lily supposed that something of the Marauders had gotten into her bloodstream because sometimes (especially when she was reviewing her D.A.D.A. spells) Lily felt like maybe she and James should have just handled that situation somehow. It might have simply been the matter of the _Daily Prophet_'s reporting of the latest stream of violence against Muggles (Lily handed over the _Prophet_ to James straightaway each morning, hardly looking herself.). Supposedly, Rabastan Lestrange had fled from his home in Liverpool and vanished into the countryside after three Muggles were flattened by a bus with no driver. Aurors had placed him on the "Danger List" of wizards and witches thought to be in league with Voldemort. At any rate, Lily could not help but feel that even if the Slytherins were not having tea in the Dark Lord's lair, they were definitely up to dark magic in school. And she also felt that should have done a little more than scream.

Otherwise, there were no further black spots on the bustle of school life. The seventh years were rapidly approaching the wizarding tests that would take them to the end of Hogwarts, and just about everyone was generally nicer to each other. Sirius broke up with Greta Catchlove only to be found making eyes at that blonde Florence girl the next day, before being thrown into Flitterbloom bushes outside the greenhouses by Greta (James, Remus, Peter, and Lily roared with laughter as Sirius flailed around in what he thought was Devil's Snare. Professor Sprout said that she was being generous with only one detention slip since both his language and his Herbology were so foul.). Wormtail was seen leaving the library with the normally surly Gladys Gudgeon one evening, and Sirius and James teased him about it so much that he accidentally walked through the Bloody Baron. Even Evan Rosier and his lot had stayed away from the Gryffindors, making this time of the year the best time for making memories and future stories. Although other periods of the year had _seemed_ more fun, this really was Lily's favorite time. The very night before Gryffindor faced off in a match against Ravenclaw for the school's Cup, Dumbledore sent messages to Lily and James telling them that they were welcome to their jobs again.

Patrols were something out of another world now. Unlike certain other couples, Lily and James had not fizzled out with the passing months. Neither had Emmeline and Caradoc, although Remus and Marlene had decided on simple friendship. Lily was surprised at how easily she had shared James' company for the entire year. Nothing about their relationship was boring, stale or tedious. It was unrivalled as the best that Lily had ever had, and (unbeknownst to her) it was the same for James.

James, however, was getting more than a little jumpy. His relationship with Lily was not all about kissing and snogging and the usual things he had experienced before with birds. When he just sat with Lily, or laughed with Lily, or walked, talked, or joked with Lily, then James would think these things and odd ideas would come into his head. James would sit and stare out the window over the Hogwarts grounds much as he had when Lily had ignored him years before. He binned his old notebooks that were filled with scratchings such as "Mrs. Lily Potter" and "Mrs. James Potter" and "Monsieur and Madame Potter." They made him feel a bit queasy nowadays, and it was not like he was losing valuable notes.

On the night of their first return to patrols, Lily and James had been talking about careers. James was still wearing Chaser's gloves just as he was still quivering slightly from the adrenaline acquired in a hair-raising, last-minute Quidditch practice. Even though this was no grudge match, it was the most important game of the year and the last James would ever play at Hogwarts. Certainly no one wanted to lose. The pair was ambling down the ground floor hallway, lazily peering into classrooms and closing them up again. It was a lackadaisical stroll. James had asked Lily to talk about anything but Quidditch.

"You have your career ideas yet?" asked James teasingly. "I'd figured that if anybody, Lily Evans would have herself all mapped out by day seven at Hogwarts."

"Don't be a berk, James," she replied lightly, while squinting into the shadowy staircase. "Honestly, I'm still indecisive in seventh year, let alone where I was on the seventh day."

"What's the problem then? Waiting to see what I'm doing first?" he smirked. Lily fixed him with a look that she gave him very often, a look that Sirius usually interpreted for James' benefit to mean "Sod off, Prongs." James only winked back.

"No, I'm just confused, that's all. I guess you've never considered that, from a Muggle's perspective, I have twice as many job options as you."

"You're serious?" asked James, alarmed. "You'd take a Muggle job?"

"Well, no…" said Lily slowly, pursing her lips. "It's just something I've been tossing around like, but I'd hardly be qualified for any of them anyway…no proper Muggle schooling."

James breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's bloody right, Lily. You're a witch, not a Muggle."

"It's just that I can't imagine talking with Petunia over the dinner table about her day as a secretary and my day as a—a I-don't-know-what. A Fwooper catcher, or something."

"I could imagine telling Petunia where to stick it," said James. "Honestly, Lily, what sounds better? Tending to dragons or…or being an eckeltriton?"

"Electrician, maybe?" she said dryly. "You make it sound so glamorous like that."

"It's true," he said defensively. "A wizarding job beats any Muggle job clean off. You'd be miserable as a Muggle worker."

"And now you remind me of that recruiter from the company that makes Comet brooms, telling us that polishing ash handles was far more interesting than it appeared. I'm surprised you didn't join up on the spot."

"I like to ride brooms, Lily, not make them," said James disdainfully. "Who cares about all that handle carving when all I need to know is if they work on the Quidditch pitch?"

"Is that what you want to do then?" asked Lily softly. "Play Quidditch?"

"Er…I dunno. I suppose I wouldn't feel like it was a real job," admitted James. He made a try at being humble. "I don't know if I'd be good enough, and it might make me guilty to spend all my time flying around while there was real work to—oh, no, Lily, _not_ Quidditch. Why are we talking about Quidditch?"

James groaned and sighed as he continued.

"You'll hex the whole damned match tomorrow if you ask me about _that word _now—"

"I've already asked," she replied tartly. "And I'm sure it will hardly matter to you come tomorrow. Emmeline may be fretting over playing Caradoc, but I know you've got no mind to let Ravenclaw get even a point ahead—"

"Lily…"

"Fine, fine. I'll stop bringing _it_ up. But aren't you even a bit nervous? Shouldn't you have gone to bed early?"

"I swear to you that I'll be perfectly all right if you'd _just stop talking about the match_. It's bad luck for me."

"It's rubbish is what it is, but if you insist I'll hold off." Lily changed tracks quickly. "So what are your other plans?"

"Oh, I don't know," said James, relieved to have put off the match. "Padfoot and me were discussing being Curse Breakers, but you've got to travel to weird places for that and I'm not so sure that would go well with Mum. Then maybe there'd be the ordinary jobs, like teaching and apothecary and the Ministry. I wouldn't have the patience, though. I'd want excitement."

"You could join a local club or something, or take really good vacations," suggested Lily. James raised one eyebrow dubiously, making him look extremely attractive.

"Somehow I'm not keen on that idea, enchanting as it might be. Although," he said thoughtfully, "it would depend an awful lot on who I'm working with."

"That's like anything though, that's like life," said Lily. "You've got to have the right people."

James swallowed a little uncomfortably.

"I guess so—" They were in the dungeons by now, near the area they had encountered Slytherin's supposed ghost last time. James stopped suddenly. Voices were coming from inside. A chill closed around Lily's throat. It was happening again.

"The word is that the old codger has given the patrols back to Potter and Evans again," said the first voice. A snort was heard.

"Does that make you afraid, Black? Are you going to run to big brother Sirius and hide under his robes?"

"I'm just saying that maybe we ought to lay off some more, to be sure. It's not like this has anything to do with _his_ work now—"

James slammed the door open, an episode of déjà vu for Lily from so much time before. There was no attempt at secrecy or foolishness this time. Evan Rosier and Regulus Black were facing each other in two chairs, Rosier lounging lazily with his legs stuck out everywhere before he jumped to his feet. Regulus just sat stunned. He did it quickly, but Lily saw Rosier shove something silvery into the bag at his feet as he turned towards the door. The steel in James' voice was not unexpected, but still very much threatening.

"What are you doing here, Rosier?"

Far from bolting, snarling, fighting, or cursing, Rosier simply smiled. A smile that oozed from his face and stretched thinly from cheek to cheek. It was the smile of a lizard that faces a bird, the smile of a dragon looking at lunch, and a smile that did nothing for his handsome features.

"Potter," he said softly. His dark eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared noticeably. Then Rosier turned to Lily. "Evans…" He seemed to lick the word with his lips as it left his mouth. James was already at the end of his temper, and he took two strides forward and punched Rosier in the mouth. Rosier staggered and fell into the chair. Blood coated his hands as he held them to his mouth. When he took them away, he was still smiling through his red teeth.

"Potter, you must have a very limited concept of what scares me."

"What about separating your arm from your body? Or your head from your arse?" said James furiously, making another move towards Rosier. Some element of the paler boy's smile slowed James in his tracks. Lily knew that each individual goosebump rose on her arms. It was the smile of a fanatic with no fear.

"James, wait," she called quietly, pulling out her wand.

"Impressive, but not enough," Rosier said, still quiet and soft-spoken. "Tell you what, come to me tomorrow. Here, at this time. Right after what I'm sure will be a thrilling Quidditch victory for Gryffindor. Bring Black, and bring Lupin, and bring Pettigrew if you'd like." He paused. "Oh, and Evans? Don't you even think of not attending. I want you here too." Rosier was still looking at Lily. Her stomach turned. James' shrill response sliced through the spell of Rosier's eyes.

"Why should we do anything for you, Rosier?"

"Because you have nothing to lose and much to gain," whispered Rosier mysteriously. "You make the rules after dark, Potter, not me. Bringing Filch or Peeves down upon us will hardly bother you, as Head Boy. Come along, Potter, what could I possibly do to you? You must come."

James stood back and took stock of Rosier, every line of his body shaking with barely contained fury. Then, he suddenly turned on his heel and brushed through the door. Lily had no choice but to follow. Just as she passed the doorjamb, James spun and called out,

"Thirty points from Slytherin, and get the hell into your rooms!"

"Naturally," replied Rosier vaguely, gliding the opposite way down the corridor with Regulus Black in tow.

…

The entire school was jittery the next day, and Lily most of all. Not in anticipation of the Quidditch match, but of the night that would follow. She had returned to the dorms to find Emmeline all in a flurry, laying out her clothes for the next day on her trunk and fighting with Dorcas about who last used her hairbrush. Marlene was trying to sleep. Lily knew that Emmeline sometimes fought just to fight, and she was able to slip quietly into bed with a quickly beating heart hammering against her ribs. The tossing and turning that took place could not be described, but Lily was up with the rest of the girls to march down to the Great Hall the next morning.

Emmeline was staring stonily into her porridge, picking up her spoon and dribbling the contents back into her bowl. She and Caradoc did not speak as they both entered the Great Hall with the rest of their teams, amidst much shouting and cheering. There were no clear cut sides to be taken because Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had equal friends among the other houses (though if the Slytherins wore more blue than red, no one mentioned it). James strutted over to the table as cocky as usual, and then proceeded to eat his eggs with small, measured bites. Lily said hello to him and he knocked over his juice. _Business as usual_. Somehow, in some way that amazed Lily, James had gone right into Quidditch mode that morning and shaken off everything that might distract him from his ultimate goal of victory.

The Ravenclaws followed Caradoc Dearborn onto the field when the match began. The day was sunny and cool, with a pleasant breeze. It was just the right weather to be comfortable in one's school robes. The Gryffindors in the stands were in an uproar, cheering like mad when the scarlet players took the field. Lily saw James' glinting glasses, and Glenda Chittock's neat black cornrows, and Warty Harris' decisive loping gait next to Mallory Twiddle. Joey Jenkins and Benjy Fenwick held their bats and opposed their Gryffindor counterparts. Emmeline gazed steadily at the ground while Caradoc gazed steadily at her, with a peculiar expression on his face. Gilbert Wimple, a lanky Ravenclaw Chaser with slick blond hair and a protuberant nose, elbowed Caradoc as James stepped forward to partake in the captains' handshake. Caradoc grasped his hand. They looked at each other and something was said. At Madame Hooch's whistle, both teams kicked off.

"It's Dorkins with the Quaffle," began Mafalda Hopkirk happily. Ragmar Dorkins was a short, dark boy with a pasty face who had a knack for strategic flying. In the area of stratagem, he was almost as good as James. Lily bit her lip as the Chaser zoomed past Dirk Cresswell.

"Dorkins flies, drops low and—! Damn! I mean, er, the shot is deflected by Gryffindor Keeper Vance. It's Potter with the Quaffle." Mafalda sighed melancholically while a grin spread over each Gryffindor's face. James would be unstoppable in his last game.

"Potter goes to the Ravenclaw hoops but here's a Bludger from Fenwick. Hello, Benjy. Potter manages to dive and he pulls out, going over Wimple's head. He shoots and it…misses! Batted away by Captain Dearborn—but Potter snatches it back! Gets it out of Wimple's hand, practically…and, oh now it's ten-nothing Gryffindor."

James took a quick half-lap around the field to blow a kiss at Lily. She was so pleased that she beamed back at him with such bright eyes that James was distracted. He shook his head to concentrate and Mafalda's commentary reentered his ears.

"Cresswell knocked away by Jenkins' Bludger. He passes to Glenda Chittock who beats Jenkins but Fenwick is coming up fast—"

"_Speed_, Glenda!" shouted James, whizzing towards the scene of the action. Like bloody hell was he going to lose this match. Benjy pelted a Bludger at Glenda and her body missed it only by a hair. The ball swiped the twigs of her broom and she whirled in a spiral, trying to regain her balance and hold the Quaffle. A second Bludger from Joey Jenkins headed towards her as James swooped in to relieve her of the Quaffle.

"And Potter's got it again! He's heading for the hoops, so c'mon now Benjy—" A Bludger hit James in the kidneys. He was slammed forward onto the handle of his broomstick as his death-grip on the Quaffle tightened. A sudden picture of Evan Rosier entered his head, a picture of Evan Rosier sneering at him in the dungeon. James' heart lurched in fury and he hurled the Quaffle forward. Caradoc reached out and connected with his fingertips, but the strength on the ball pushed just far enough past his outstretched arm.

"Twenty-nothing, Gryffindor."

After three more attempts, Ragmar Dorkins scored. And scored again. James retaliated with another goal. The pattern of the game became apparent: No matter how many times Chittock or Cresswell tried, only James was good enough to put the ball past Caradoc. The Beaters on both sides were too skilled to give the Chasers many shots. Emmeline let only one of perhaps each three in, and the hand behind the Quaffle usually belonged to Ragmar Dorkins. Both Keepers were getting frustrated and James was nearly beside himself with furious energy. This match was going to be his.

The battle raged on until the score was ninety to seventy in Gryffindor's favor. James made another attempt and was blocked by Caradoc, spurring him to score twice more in a row. One hundred and ten points were Gryffindor's. Lily's eyes met James' when he flew away from the golden hoops that second time. The bright green spots were perfectly circular in warning.

James' pulse skyrocketed as he felt that something was wrong. Lily's face had told him so. James wheeled around to find the Ravenclaw Seeker Penrose bearing down on the Snitch, which hovered low to the ground near the Gryffindor goal posts. Otto Bagman was so much closer, if only he would turn around!

"BAGMAN!" roared James, snapping his head sharply towards the Snitch. Otto was in a dive double-quick as he poured on the speed. In James' mind, everything was pale and floating save for the sparkle of gold near the ground and the luster of red in the stands. Bagman and Penrose would get there at the same time. Time stretched like taffy lines as he saw something black shoot past his shoulder.

A Bludger shattered James' haze and Ravenclaw's chances. Mallory Twiddle had nabbed Penrose squared on the arm and Bagman pulled up into the air with blazing triumph. He began whooping.

"We've won!" shouted James while the noise from the stands just about knocked him back. Hooch was blowing her whistle and signaling the end of the match. Otto Bagman was taking his victory lap. "We've won, we've _won_! We've—"

Warty Harris smashed into him from one side. Cresswell and Chittock, arm-in-arm, soared into him from another. Then Twiddle was there, and then Emmeline, and Bagman. The Gryffindor team landed on the ground with a hoarse roar and James nearly sobbing with joy. Totally alone, wiry Warty Harris lifted James up and carried him to the stands. The crowd surged behind them and lifted up Otto and Twiddle as well for the game-saving play. The whole of the team were brought to Dumbledore like heroes to claim what was James' third Cup. Harris set him down with a grin before they reached Dumbledore. James smelled Lily somewhere nearby, and he pulled to him through the melee to plant a lip-locking kiss on her red mouth. She was so beautiful, just like everything else.

Professor McGonagall beamed and even Professor Flitwick managed a small smile for James. He grinned back recklessly as Dumbledore held the gleaming Cup high in front of him.

Dumbledore paused. Shouting had been replaced by gestures and whispers. James turned back to look at the pitch. Emmeline and Caradoc were standing there, simply facing each other, and Caradoc was on one knee. He was mouthing words that felt so familiar to James that he was surprised that he had never said them before. Emmeline's mouth was open in shock as Caradoc placed a ring on her finger. The noise died away when every face turned to the pitch. Then Emmeline's lips moved. And they did so again. And then a shout that reached the stands was heard by every ear on the field.

"_Yes_! I've said it already!"

Caradoc grinned and jumped to his feet, lifting Emmeline off the ground and swinging her in a circle. Cheers broke out everywhere and a glistening tear of happiness slid down Lily's cheek as the engaged couple kissed for the first time.

**I can only apologize for taking so long with this one, a very small part of which was due to my inability to upload this document to ff. I think this chapter got better as it neared the end. The whole Slytherin crisis will be brought out in the next chapter and I'm already a page into that one. Thanks for everyone who sticks by and reviews!**

**Incidentally, this brings another point. This story was originally intended to be only a seventh-year LilyJames tale, which is why I'm on chapter 38 and not yet through N.E.W.T.s. Would anyone vote for my making it a story going up to their deaths? If so, should I just continue with **Lightning at Hogwarts** or make a new story for after Hogwarts? Even if you are a reader who has never reviewed before, please leave one and tell me what you think.**

**THANK YOU IN GENERAL**


	39. Big News Showdown

"Caradoc, mate, you've got an iron pair on you," said Sirius bluntly as he pumped Caradoc's hand.

It was a wonderfully purple dusk and the Quidditch stands were empty. Emmeline and Caradoc had lingered in their own little space on the pitch after the match, with people running up to congratulate them or kiss them on the cheek or smack them on the shoulders. Professor Sprout had gifted Emmeline with a shapely sanguine orchid that fit neatly into her luscious hair. Professor Flitwick had squealed happily and trod all over Caradoc's feet, forgetting the loss of the Cup.

Although they had taken place before, this was the first school engagement in Lily's year and everyone was terribly abuzz. Dorcas and Marlene and Lily had waited around for Emmeline, and if Lily was there then James was, and if James then Sirius, Peter, and Remus. Benjy and Mafalda were there as well. Benjy had known Caradoc's intent all along; he was already promised to be the best man.

The girls had moved far ahead by now, grouped into a gaggle of exclamations and cooing and sobbing and hugging. They moved along with the electric energy centered on Emmeline's special glow and the diamond with the light that pulsed softly on her left ring finger. The boys were walking slowly behind with Caradoc, who almost floated along.

"I still don't know how you could do it," Sirius was saying. "In front of the whole school, the most important game of the year, after you lost…"

"Well, one of them had to lose," interjected Benjy. "It's probably better—for them, at any rate—that Emmeline didn't."

He turned to James.

"And don't think for a minute, Potter, that we'll let you forget about our offer for a private rematch. Me and Caradoc and you and whoever—"

"Black, I don't know that you understand," interrupted Caradoc joyfully. Obviously he was two steps behind, and he seemed to have just caught on to Sirius' question. "I love Emmeline. I do. It's the funniest thing in the world, but I do. She's so much to me now for so many reasons."

Benjy groaned.

"Caradoc, I was talking about _Quidditch_. We don't need another ringing affirmation of your love for Emmeline."

Caradoc only chuckled. He managed to keep quiet for another two minutes.

"I think it all began earlier in this year, though I've always fancied her a bit. On and off, like. This spring I was bawling on the lakeside when my favorite cousin was killed—"

"One bloody minute!" cried Sirius alarmedly. "We didn't hear anything about—"

"It's because she's a Muggle," Caradoc replied. "It wouldn't be in the _Daily Prophet_. Meggie was killed when Rabastan Lestrange magicked that bus near Liverpool."

"I'm sorry," said Remus gravely. "We didn't know."

"And you shouldn't have," waved Caradoc dismissively. "But thank you. It's still a little painful to talk about.

"Anyway, Emmeline didn't care that I was supposed to be the big man and all. I hardly did either because I was sobbing just the same. She only wanted to me to feel okay. That was all she cared about. And she didn't do the usual shit about 'I-understand-and-your-loss-is-regrettable-and-accept-my-condolences' and all the other rot that makes people feel better to say. She sat there with me, all afternoon, apparently skiving off Transfiguration and Charms. The only other person who's ever skived off McGonagall for me would be this wally right here," he said with a faint smile. Benjy bowed with a dutiful flourish. The Marauders looked at each covertly. This they understood. No one skipped out of McGonagall's class lightly.

"I just can't get enough of her," Caradoc continued, almost fumbling into a shrub. "She's so different and caring and stupid in these little ways that I…well, that I love. It's like having a best friend in a girl way, like you want to be near them but you also _have_ to be…does that make any sense?"

"A bit," said James quietly. Only Sirius picked up on that underlying string in his voice and he looked at James with sharp eyes. James stared straight ahead, gazing interestedly at a wildly attractive patch of grass. Caradoc looked at James with approval, as if he had taken off fuzzy glasses and seen James for the first time.

"I guess you would know, Potter. But getting back a bit, I realized I just had to propose. I had to let her know what she means to me before something happens. Before we're not safe anymore because we're out of school. People die all the time. They ought to know that you love them."

Caradoc was quiet for a moment. Each and every boy was thoughtful, because every family had a hole where a cousin or a mother or a brother or uncle ought to have been.

A lump formed in James' throat and the most uncertain and passionate feelings that he had ever known flew from his heart right to his head. For some time now, he had been cleverly trying to excise the "M" word from his vocabulary. Marriage was something for adults, for people far older and surer of themselves than he, James Potter, was. Caradoc had gone and ruined that argument. James' insides were not liking the new arrangement.

"And it's mostly for the dumbest reasons!" Caradoc exclaimed. These ardent outbursts were very much out of character for the normally easygoing Ravenclaw. Benjy seemed resigned to them. James wished (only very slightly) that Caradoc would shut up. "Emmy sleeps too long and she can't cook. The biscuits she sent me over the summer choked a squirrel or two in my backyard when I left them under the bird feeder.

"She doesn't care if she's late to anything, and I always need to be early. She's loud but she's secretive and she doesn't cover her mouth when she burps. She spends far too long fixing her hair. And she actually can't walk in a straight line without shuffling every now and then, because she always walks to the left."

Sirius gave a sidelong look to James, clearly indicating his idea of Caradoc's psychological instability. James, however, did not catch that glance. James was hanging on painfully to every word that Caradoc said, knowing deep, somewhere, that he was aching to say things along these lines as well.

"But it doesn't matter. Her breath is always nice and whenever she says something flirty she means it, even if it comes right after a comment about how I should be kicked out of Ravenclaw because I can't match my socks properly." Caradoc took a strong breath and his eyes dreamily followed the dark outline of Emmeline somewhere ahead. "When I'm with Emmeline, I feel really good. Better than good. Like I've been naked in an igloo and I've just tumbled into summer."

"Caradoc, for Merlin's sake, don't write your own wedding vows," groaned Benjy. Caradoc actually blushed, his cheeks looking bloody in the fading light.

"That was awful, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, mate, it was," replied Benjy easily. "But you meant it, and that's supposed to be all that matters."

_All that matters_, thought James, watching the girls in front of him in the way Caradoc had.

…

"Emmeline, this is brilliant!" said Dorcas for the umpteenth time. Usually chatty, Emmeline had been rather quiet since the Quidditch match. Her expression alternated between numbed shock and dazzling happiness. All of her Gryffindor girls were delighted for her, as they had professed over and over again while they all lay in their beds after dinner.

"And just think, you'll be in your dream wedding now!" said Marlene for the trillionth time. "Then you'll go off and live with Caradoc—"

"—in your nice manor house with that damn pony you've always wanted—"

"—or in that swanky Diagon Alley apartment with a unicorn motif—"

"—and you'll have your own family—"

"Do you know what Diagon Alley flats are going for now?" asked Emmeline dryly. "We'd be lucky to live in one of their smaller skips."

"You could wait until after you both have jobs," suggested Lily, piping up for the first time since they had gone to their room. Lily was the calmest. Lily was sensible. Lily said everything she had to say once and she was done with it. Emmeline appreciated that and she smiled at Lily gratefully.

"We'll manage, though. I suppose we'll have to reserve a place for the ceremony anyway, and we'll plan from there—"

"Remember, Emmeline, you don't have to settle for anything," reminded Marlene. "It's your day."

"Your big day!" interceded Dorcas. Marlene nodded.

"That's right! Why, if you want roses, then by Merlin you'll—"

"—have the bloody roses," finished Emmeline. "I know all that. It's just…strange when it's happening, you know?"

"You don't know what to do first?" asked Lily. Emmeline nodded again. Emmeline, at least, knew enough not to mistake Lily's level-headedness for a lack of enthusiasm.

Because Lily certainly was happy for Emmeline. Yes, she was. She had been outwardly excited earlier in the evening. However, Lily knew that a wedding was not some intangible possible future occurrence. It was real. It would come and it would happen and it would pass. Somehow, Lily understood that better than Dorcas or Marlene. And Emmeline knew it. _Maybe it's because only the two of us have ever…_Been in love.

What was so wrong with that? Well, all right, she _was_ in love. _Been in love_. Lily shivered. She had been keeping that part of her heart quiet for quite a long time. Now she had grown up. Lily had admitted it to herself. _I am entirely in love with James Potter_.

A ponderous warmth settled over her steadily. With a heartfelt logic, Lily realized that she would marry James Potter or no one at all. It was sort of peaceful, really, to know that now and forever. _But should I tell him?_

"What color d'you think would look nicest foe Emmeline's bridesmaids?" asked Dorcas, trying to draw Lily back into the conversation.

Lily blinked. Was it not obvious to Dorcas that she needed time to herself? To mull this all over? _Aren't revelations like this supposed to make you cry and shout and jump?_

No, it was not a revelation. Lily had to correct herself. It was acceptance, that was all. The revelation aspect had taken place far earlier in the year, when she had first allowed James to kiss her and she kiss him back. That moment was tense and exploding and electrifying. This was therapeutic. Lily dreamily unwrapped a sherbet lemon and popped it into her mouth. She savored every sweet memory as she sucked at the candy.

But Lily still wanted time to herself. This was not the kind of thing someone found out everyday. Marlene's alarm clock rang out, and it was time that Lily did not have. Ten o'clock. Patrols.

"Lily, are you all right?" asked Marlene worriedly. Lily stood up and smoothed her robes mechanically, fighting internal panic. She was going to meet Evan Rosier now.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're white as a sheet, Lil," said Emmeline mildly. "Wha—"

"Nothing, nothing," Lily said hastily. By her friends' faces, Lily knew her assurances were doing more harm than good. She took a deep breath and managed a shaky smile.

"Well, I've got to go."

"Are you fighting with James or something?" asked Emmeline, hawk-like in her perception. Lily shook her head. How could she tell these three, innocent girls about a meeting with Rosier and the Marauders in the dungeons? Lily wanted—above all else—for this whole meeting to just be a prank. A joke. A stupid, stupid joke. She knew it would not be.

"I…I just remembered something I should have done," Lily lied softly. "And goodnight, you three. I'll be back later."

"Of course you will," said Dorcas off-handedly. "Why wouldn't you be?"

She picked up two, brightly-wrapped sherbet lemons and tossed them to Lily. Lily caught them smoothly and stuffed them into her pocket.

"One for James and one more for you," smiled Dorcas.

"Thanks," answered Lily with real warmth. She opened the door. The red common room seemed chilly tonight.

The Marauders were waiting by the Portrait Hole. Sirius was glaring ferociously at Mallory Twiddle, daring him to ask why three Gryffindors were accompanying the Head Boy and Girl on patrols. Twiddle's ears were quite red over the top of the homework parchment which he held in front of him like a shield.

"All ready?" asked James brightly. He was doing his best to look buoyant and unaffected. Sirius was disdainful. Remus was worried. Peter simply stared at the floor as if imploring it to gobble him up. Lily wished the same.

She linked arms with James and put on her best attempt at a smile. Her boyfriend's returning grin was all teeth.

"Ready."

As they climbed out of the Portrait Hole, Lily wondered what James' plan was. Her heart was beating rather badly again and she stole a quick look at the Marauders. Remus caught her glance and Lily knew precisely what he was about.

James made it no secret where they were going. He struck out in front as the obvious leader and took purposeful steps toward the dungeon. _He's looking for his fight_.

They reached the dungeons all too soon and James simply opened the door and dropped Lily's arm. He stepped inside, followed by the rest of the Gryffindors. The Slytherins were waiting.

Evan Rosier sat behind Slughorn's desk, lounging lazily and looking up through his pinched brows at them. Regulus Black stood behind Rosier chewing rapidly on an old piece of gum. He did not look at Sirius. Wilkes sat on a desk next to Travers, who leaned casually against the side. His eyes wordlessly followed James as they made their entrance. Lily had the unmistakable feeling of being marked by a group of Acromantulas for dinner.

"Ah," breathed Rosier. "Excellent. You've all come." He flicked his wand. The door closed and _snipped_ shut.

"Just what the hell is your game, Rosier?" shot James, firing up immediately. Rosier held up a hand. He looked like he was enjoying himself immensely.

"Potter, you're just such the arse. Sit down first. Get comfortable."

James clenched his teeth but Lily overrode him before he began on a vicious swearing spree.

"We'll stand, thanks. This shouldn't take too long."

"Evans, you amaze me. You're a Mudblood with no talent who thinks that the heroic James Potter can do whatever he likes whenever he feels—"

"_Incarceous_!" cried James, leveling his wand at Rosier. Rosier half fell out of his chair and lay bound with thick cords. Even though she knew Rosier was just being petty, Lily still winced at his mean words. _He probably would have loved it_, thought Lily pensively, _if I had cried. I don't know what he thinks of me but I know that I wouldn't cry for him_.

"Untie me," Rosier said calmly, but his face gave itself away. He had very transparent expressions, and his nose and mouth were twisted with anger splotchy.

"Like hell," said James flatly.

"Why should he?" demanded Sirius, stepping forward. "You're all a lot of scum—"

"Black, stop," said Travers deadpan. "You'll regret this if you don't."

"What if I bind you up right now?" suggested Sirius venomously. "But then we'd just have to do a load of pretending and say this meeting wasn't another excuse to hurl your envy at us. I'll trot you down to Dumbledore and see what he makes of all this rubbish—'

"He can't do anything about us!" burst out Wilkes unexpectedly. Every face turned towards him. A slow, pulsating anger beat under James' skin.

"Explain." It was not a question. Wilkes took a step back, like a rabbit might hop from an eagle. James took a step forward.

"Prongs, don't," called out Remus. "That pillock has nothing to do with it." He eyed the fuming Rosier. "Let's ask this one." Wilkes crumpled like a dry flower and slumped back into a subjugated pose against the desk. Lily's nose wrinkled at his spinelessness.

Sirius pointed his wand and Rosier suddenly dangled, still bound, in the air by his ankle. With a casual swish, Sirius moved him to the very center of the room.

"Talk."

"Not like this!" spat Rosier, angrily. As Sirius had interpreted correctly, Evan Rosier hated being made the fool. He hardly looked majestic while spinning slowly in the air by his ankle. "Put me down, Black! I swear the Dark Lord's revenge—"

"Dark Lord?" cried out Lily and James in unison. Lily shouted in horror while James was in triumph.

"Ah hah, Rosier!" James pointed animatedly. He had managed to verbally pin down Rosier. "So you admit to these dealings with Voldemort and the Death Eaters!"

"What are you, their gopher?" sneered Sirius. Rosier paid him no heed as the blood rushing to his head filled his cheeks. His malicious eyes focused only on James.

"Admit it? Why, of course, I admit it. I _am_ a Death Eater."

Silence. An artery squeezed on its way from Lily's heart. Her tongue was dry.

"You're…you're a Death Eater, Rosier?" she said, remaining as nonchalant as she could. Lily might have had an easier time dealing with the sentence if not for the nouns.

The noxious fire in Rosier's eyes was hardly to be believed as his lips drew into a pernicious smile. A drop of blood flecked the floor. His nose had begun to bleed.

"Evans, you wouldn't believe some of the things I've done," he said softly. "What I've done, or what I've said, or even what I've thought…"

Sirius wordlessly dropped Rosier to the ground with a swish of his wand. Rosier got up quickly and brushed off his robes, faint lines of crimson on the front from where he had hit the small blood puddle on floor. Blood was in his teeth now, and when Rosier wiped his face with the back of his hand the redness smeared along his lips. It was a twisted impression of a half-smile.

"You see, I had a very happy Christmas," Rosier whispered as he reached for his sleeve. "The Dark Lord is interested in my loyalty, and my usefulness to him as a liaison to Hogwarts."

Rosier pulled back his robes with a bestial noise of satisfaction. There, squirming on his forearm, was a symbol that burned into Lily's mind. A snake. A skull. Together, just as they were joined in the mark that lit up the black and white skies shown in the Daily Prophet. Lily heard Remus' intake of breath.

"I met him, you know," continued Rosier. He was speaking quickly and in a very raspy voice. "He decided that I was ready, that I was committed. The Dark Lord wants to take followers straight out of Hogwarts. He gave me a prized gift to bring back with me here, to help us in our efforts—"

"An Invisibility Cloak," murmured Lily. "That's how you bullied the first years." She had known since she saw the glitter of silver at their previous meeting. James was shocked and evidently pained.

Rosier evidently did not like this announcement on Lily's part. His lip curled up snidely.

"Yes, Evans," he hissed. "Good enough of a guess. The Dark Lord entrusted me with this equipment for my mission, to spread his message of fear right under Albus Dumbledore's crooked nose—"

"And how did that work out, Rosier?" said James hotly. "You made yourself invisible and pretended to be Slytherin's ghost? Is this your recruitment plant, making potion bottles rattle? Is Arkie Philpott joining up with the Death Eaters now? Did Voldemort know that you'd be using his toy for some play yard games with kids younger than you? D'you think he'd be proud to hear about—"

"Don't _say_ that name," said Travers through gritted teeth. James rounded on him in a flare of indignation.

"_Voldemort_. And look at that, Travers? He didn't need to give me a stupid robe to make me feel important—"

"He entrusted us with a mission!" shrieked Rosier. "He knows that we are his loyal followers! His powers are on our side—"

"Voldemort doesn't trust anyone!" Lily fired back.

"He's using you," said Remus.

"Before he kills you," added Sirius spitefully. Rosier howled in rage.

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" He pointed his wand first at Remus, then at Sirius, and he swiveled to rest it on James. "Don't think he'll spare you, Potter, or your Mudblood bitch. He'll kill you all, you'll see it too late to stop him—"

It might have been the Muggle-born in her, but Lily did not even think to do magic when Rosier raised his wand to James. Magic was second nature to her, but still only second. The first nature was for instinctive violence. Lily knocked Rosier's wand from his hand and slapped him in the face, being sure to leave scratches from her fingernails. She furiously stomped his wand underfoot and the wood cracked satisfactorily, revealing the magical innards. Lily pointed her own wand at Rosier as he clutched his eye.

"Not another word, you putri—"

"_Cr—_"

"_Petrificus totalus_!" cried James, blocking Travers' curse before it left his lips. Travers thudded to the ground as Rosier staggered upright while squinting through his right eye. What he might have done next was uncertain, but Wilkes certainly backed away as the Marauders made a move towards him. Regulus Black stepped forward.

"No, Sirius."

"Regulus," snarled Sirius venomously. Lily somehow thought that—in Sirius' eyes--Regulus' involvement was the worst part of the whole affair.

"Regulus, how thick could one person be?" he demanded in a rigid voice. "D'you buy all of this rot? Have you come here thinking that _Evan Rosier_ is going to protect you? Is he going to give you power? Are you thinking that Voldemort is going to offer you a lifetime position as his secretary? Or maybe he'll reveal a bit of Dark Magic that will allow you to remove your head from your arse, since the one part of your body is just as useful as the other?"

"Sirius, don't you dare tell—"

Lily gasped and covered her mouth as Sirius hit Regulus with a Stinging Hex. Regulus stumbled and held his arm painfully.

"Siriu—"

Sirius took another step and did it again. His expression was impassive and James was looking away. Regulus backed into the desk. He was genuinely surprised, and for a moment he looked quite young.

"Sirius, I'm your own brother!" Regulus cried in horror, and whether he was pleading or snarling Lily never could tell. He seemed to be working on regaining control of himself.

"But if this is the end then you're as good as dead to our family!" Regulus' voice rose again in a clamor. "Mum and Dad support me—not you—me. We won't be brothers any longer! You'll be alone again, like you always are!"

"I have a brother," said Sirius in a deadly voice, "and he's standing right here next to me."

Regulus flinched visibly and turned his face away. The fight was over. The Marauders had won. Lily did not quite know how she knew it, but she did. James clapped Sirius on the shoulder; Sirius was as tense as stone.

"We'll leave this rubbish to take care of themselves. Let's go home, mate."

"Of course," he answered mechanically. Lily slipped her arm through Sirius' on the other side. He looked at her with a strange expression, raising one slim eyebrow.

"James is right. Let's go."

Remus pushed Wilkes out of the way. Peter opened the door. Lily and James both knew where they were going, and they led Sirius there. Straight to Dumbledore.

**Well then okay. I think we're about three or fewer chapters away from the end of the year, folks. I am not sure if this chapter is good or not but it definitely is long. If anything is still unclear, please ask. And I know Snape wasn't there, but that's the point isn't it? He's very ambiguous about everything because he's smarter than the others. Happy Easter for those who celebrated.**

**THANK YOU ALL FOR READING AND REVIEWING**


	40. Here Goes Nothing

Lily grabbed James' shoulder and pulled him to a halt once they had quite a few doors and stairs between the dungeons and themselves.

"Wait, James. I just realized we can't go to Dumbledore."

"Why the hell not?" he demanded. Sirius came to a halt and paused, turning back to the arguing couple.

"Because he's probably asleep," Lily said exasperatedly. Lily bit her lip and tried to calm down; she was still shaking. "We didn't—_I_ didn't think anything through. There's no way we can go to Dumbledore's. That's where we were all headed, right? Well, it's almost eleven now. I don't think he usually holds meetings at this time."

James shrugged her hand off and looked away. He was still seething with anger and boiling for some kind of revenge. Inaction was not an option.

"We could just go to our rooms," suggested Peter feebly.

Sirius narrowed his eyes and Remus shook his head.

"Who could sleep now, Wormtail? Maybe we could still catch Dumbledore."

"No, Lily's right," said James snidely. "She always is."

"Don't be petulant," said Lily warningly. She knew that like James', her mixed-up emotions were ready to tumble out in the form of anger at any moment. That knowledge did not stop her from being annoyed.

"Don't use swotty words like 'petulant,' Lily."

"Do you—"

"I know what the damn word means!" shouted James as the Fat Friar floated by.

"Really, Mr. Potter," he said with disapproval in his ghostly plump features. "You'll wake the castle like that."

The Friar peered down at James' patchy red complexion and squinting eyes.

"I think I know what your problem is. You have too many patrollers here. Like cooks spoiling the soup, you know. Then again, I've never had the problem of having too much soup…it's been so long since I've laid hands on a good bisque…since I've laid hands on anything, really…"

James busied himself with controlling an extremely inappropriate remark as the Friar floated on. Sirius suggested something no one had considered.

"We can go to his office and wait for him until he comes."

There was a tick of time while everyone absorbed this simple, yet judicious plan. None of the five had any ideas about going to sleep anytime soon, and being in the general aura of Dumbledore—at least ready to speak to him at first light—was better than sitting cold in the dorms. There was even the slight chance they might be able to sleep there.

"You mean like outside his office?" asked Peter.

"Yes, in tents," answered James with immeasurable sarcasm. "With a campfire and some mallows to roast. We'll tell scary stories about Moony and eat bugs on sticks."

"I meant inside the office, Wormtail," said Sirius patiently. Uncharacteristically patient, actually. Although Lily did not know it, it was well taken among the Marauders that Sirius would often ease up on Peter after having anything to do with the Slytherins. "If Dumbledore's there in his office, we'll talk to him. If not, we'll talk to him in the morning. Not like someone else is going to come upon us first."

"Is that allowed?" asked Lily.

"Does that matter?" returned Sirius. "We know how to get in there. And by the way, Head Girl, who's going to discipline students that are already _in_ the Headmaster's office? Where will they send us?"

Lily thought it over and decided to blush. Not that she had really decided to, but she did anyway. The somehow ludicrous nature of this plan that was sure to work did not trouble her so much as the situation that would result. Someone (whether it would be Dumbledore or even a House Elf) would discover her illegally in the Headmaster's office while bunking down with the Marauders. Perhaps she could be snuggled in a chair while they lay on the floor.

Sirius' shrewd eyes slid to Lily's face and he had obviously considered Lily's situation as the lonesome female. He showed the first sign of a smirk since he before had spoken to Regulus, ending what was quite a smirking drought for Sirius Black. His face dared Lily to get over her blush and wait for Dumbledore with them. A suggestive comment from James would have been forthcoming if James had not been so busy sulking to himself and thinking evil things about the Slytherins. Sirius had noticed this behavior too.

"A touch of mischief will make Prongs lighten up, Lily," smiled Sirius. "When you two are married, leave out some dishes for him to break when he's under a cloud. Or let him raid your knickers drawer and pretend to be mad about it. He's always peppy when it comes to causing trouble."

"You recover from crisis very quickly, don't you, Sirius?" asked Lily tartly. She glided towards the gargoyle that marked the entrance to Dumbledore's office without so much as another word. Remus grinned and exchanged a look with Sirius. Step one was accomplished.

Even in the aftermath of such a dungeon showdown involving dark intent and the magic to match, James still found the emotion to be so incredibly pissed off at Sirius that he froze for a full minute, his hands clenching into fists in the air.

"_The 'M' word, Padfoot?_" James hissed in fury, knowing that Lily was out of earshot. "I stand up for you against the Death Eater youth and you repay me with the_ '_M' word_ in front of Lily_? What kind of rubbish would pull such a trick on his best mate, you sorry—!"

"Wait, 'married' is the 'M' word?" asked Peter, just about cottoning on in the last moment. "Who's getting married?"

Complete anger and disbelief choked James; and he actually gagged on his words. Far from being insulted, Sirius laughed and winked.

"Someone should bring up the topic of marriage with Lily, Prongs, although I think she'd prefer it was you."

James said nothing when, soon after, Sirius recited the password to Dumbledore's study.

"_Peppermint Toad_."

The gargoyle leapt from their path and the wall revealed a spiral staircase that the Marauders knew rather well. Silently, all five piled into the space and they soon reached the polished door to the office. Lily did not even ask how Sirius knew the password, because there would not really be a point to it.

Sirius was the first to step off the staircase and examine their surroundings. They were rather scrunched on the landing.

"I vote for going straight in," said Lily. There was no chance of her sleeping on the top of a winding staircase in front of the door.

"Shh, the bloody portraits might wake up," whispered Sirius. "If they do, Merlin knows what a racket they'll make."

"We can sleep on the floor," said Remus in a quiet voice. "It's pretty cold in this barmy castle and I doubt there's a roaring fire inside the office."

"Shouldn't we knock and ask if Dumbledore's there first?" asked Lily.

"No," said James, finally speaking up. "Then those idiots on the walls are sure to wake up. We'll go in and sit down if he's not there."

"I'll be sleeping in his personal chair, thank you very much," whispered Sirius quickly.

"Dammit, Padfoot," muttered James. "That's the best chair there."

"I'll get the visitor's chair," Peter whispered.

James appeared distinctly displeased. He and Remus exchanged a look.

"I guess it's the carpet for us then, Prongs. Us and…"

"Me," sighed Lily. "Fine. Do we have sleeping bags or something?"

"I have the Invisibility Cloak," supplied James. "But it's dead thin for a stone floor, even with a carpet."

"And I'll not be trod on by Padfoot in the middle of the night because he's too stupid to realize where I am," reminded Remus. Sirius gave a snort of sneer.

"Moony, shut up. We might as well all sleep on the floor for the warmth, or we could let you try and be funny for an hour or so to heat up the room with some nice hot air."

"Now kids," whispered Lily, laughing softly. Anticipation was winding through her at the nature of this fantastical situation. It was so daringly unlike something Lily Evans would do. _Lily Evans pre-James Potter that is_.

Without asking permission, Lily quietly pushed the oaken door open.

The portraits were all snoozing already, some in various articles of nightwear including night caps and ear plugs. A witch with a large nose was wearing blindfolds that moved whenever she let out a particularly loud snore. Dumbledore was not there. Lily had not expected him to be.

Wordlessly, James lay down with his back against the carved desk. He looked around for something to Transfigure into a sleeping bag but he did not find anything. He sighed. James was too tired to bother at conjuring up one from scratch. Remus didn't complain as he settled down too.

Peter scrambled into Dumbledore's chair with a grin at Sirius. Not wanting to be the last one standing, Lily hurriedly curled up on the floor somewhere near James' head and Remus' feet. After a moment's hesitation, Sirius made his way over to the floor as well as he forsook the visitor's chair. It took only a few moments for them to they rearrange themselves with much shushing (on Lily's part) and wrist-slapping (also on Lily's part). Saying it was a comfortable arrangement might have been a stretch, but saying it was chillingly unpleasant was wrong.

The pitter-patter drum of excitement in Lily's chest wound down into slumber. It was because this office raid—of all things she might have chosen to do after such a battle with the Slytherins—was the most teenaged of Lily's life experience. Lily was born an old soul; and the life of Lily Evans did not contain many actions that she would seriously consider not revealing to anyone. This was one of them. She was really inducted into the Marauder family now as certain snoring noises cropped up around her. Lily even managed not to be upset at James for acting queerly like a child earlier. The breathing of the others dispelled all of her twisted thoughts of the Slytherins and Rosier and the Death Eaters. One by one, each dropped off.

When Albus Dumbledore shuffled into his study that next morning, his heart skipped a beat. It was just before full dawn and the east-facing windows cast a pink light over a huddle of bodies on his carpet. _Dead_ bodies, in all likelihood, and Dumbledore's hand went to his wand just as fast as his mind had fastened onto his greatest fear. He was still in his dressing gown and nightcap.

After a moment's reflection, Dumbledore relaxed. Peter Pettigrew was snoring loudly. The bright mass of Lily Evans' hair was feathered around her face, which was cushioned on the stomach of James Potter. The Potter in question was on his side with his legs splayed over those of Remus Lupin, whose knee was directly against Sirius Black's spine. Remus was wheezing softly in his sleep and every time James exhaled, a plume of Lily's hair quavered in the air.

Fawkes the phoenix fluttered to his perch and gave Dumbledore a look as if to say that he had been foolish to fear the worst. Dumbledore supposed that the phoenix, as usual, had been right.

"Should I wake them now, Fawkes, and leave them forever with the image of my nightwear?" mused Dumbledore, patting the bird's head. Fawkes gave him a tiresome look. None of this would be a problem if Dumbledore had not had a great, early-morning craving for a square of nougat from his stash in his top desk drawer. Try persuading the Board of Governors to relax the restrictions on the Summoning Charm between the Headmaster's office and sleeping quarters, but then, there you go. That was the real predicament because all security had its sugary price.

Fawkes' beak poked Dumbledore's elbow. Albus removed his nightcap and placed it on his desk. The Headmaster went over to Peter and prodded his gently on the shoulder.

"Peter," he said. "Peter, Peter. Wake up."

Peter Pettigrew laboriously opened one sleepy eye. All he saw in the dim, streaky light was an impossibly tall silhouette with two sharp glints of sliver for eyes and a hideous demon in the form of a bird of fire at his right hand. Peter screamed and the four students at the foot of the desk woke in a flurry of thrashing limbs and swearing.

As Peter fell out of the chair and Sirius bashed his head against the desk, Dumbledore took his seat pleasantly. While James felt around frantically for his glasses that Remus had been sleeping on, Dumbledore conjured his morning cup of hot cocoa. When Lily caught sight of the state of her robes (inadvertently pushed up to her knees) and shrieked and tried to straighten them, Dumbledore swiftly hid his hand-knitted nightcap in an open desk drawer. The Headmaster was fastidiously adding cream to his saucer just as James, Sirius and Remus pulled themselves to their feet and Lily right after them. Peter scrambled clear over to the other side of the desk; and they were all shaking, breathing hard, and watching Dumbledore apprehensively.

"Good morning," he said calmly, dabbing at his lips with his napkin after taking a creamy sip of chocolate. "I trust you all slept well?"

The portraits were all awake by now with as much confusion as the students. Phineas Nigellus, an unctuous portrait well-known to the Marauders as a particular bane of their early nighttime wanderings, was glaring daggers while straightening his cravat. A gimpy old wizard was crying out something about betrayal and espionage while Armando Dippet kept repeating that nothing, but nothing, was the matter. It was a witch with a thick sort of wand who sorted everything out in a few minutes. Dumbledore sat complacently while paintings and people alike got their bearings.

"I assume that you all wanted to see me?" asked Dumbledore pleasantly. James and Sirius exchanged a look. They both nodded. Dumbledore magicked an extra four chairs from the air and the five sat down uncomfortably.

"Chocolate?"

James shook his head.

"Professor," he began. "I know what this looks like, but let me—"

"James, my dear boy, it's good that you do because I have absolutely no idea as to what this looks like," interrupted Dumbledore. "If you'll pardon the interruption, allow me to say that I draw no conclusions. I'm pretty sure that's what worries you. Quite on the contrary, actually, I'm interested in what you have to say."

This was the type of response that everyone should have expected but no one had (Remus and Lily might have, though. They were not yet so used to be disciplined by teachers as to expect it.). Dumbledore clasped his hands together and waited as if James had just asked for help with an Arithmancy problem and was about the state the variables.

"Well…" James' throat was curiously dry; he cleared it. "Sir, we've been here since last night…"

"I think he got that bit, Prongs," said Sirius as he covered his yawning mouth. James ignored Sirius and took a moment for decision.

"Professor, Evan Rosier is a Death Eater," said James. Every head turned towards him. James was not sure that this was the best way to ease the Headmaster into the situation, but he was never good with graceful subtly. At any rate, it was all he could do not to bang the whole thing out in one rambling shot. "He told us last night, and the Slytherins bragged about the entire thing and threatened us. That was why all those first years were being bullied. It was the Slytherins' idea of proving themselves. We had a pretty bad time of it but it wasn't our fault because they wanted us to go there at night anyway."

Only the hint of surprise touched Dumbledore's eyes at this news though he put down his cup hard. Lily had the shrewd feeling that Dumbledore was surprised not so much at the nature of this news as of the timing.

"Who was there, you say?"

"Rosier, Wilkes, Travers, and Regulus Black," supplied Sirius promptly. Both James and Dumbledore looked at Sirius with surprise. Sirius shrugged and gave James a small nod.

"And what did they do to you?"

"Threatened us with half-arse—sorry, Professor—er… they told us some feeble type threats," finished James lamely. "Mostly Rosier mouthing off about how powerful Voldemort is. Turns out we weren't quite keen on their news, you know… so they didn't manage to tell us much…"

"Though naturally you could have surmised the rest of their arguments," said Dumbledore neatly.

James looked at Dumbledore with a blank expression. He had given absolutely no thought to what Rosier might have said if he had not been dangled unceremoniously in the air. What _was_ the point of revealing that he was a Death Eater?

"It's seems kind of thick, really," said James slowly. "He must have known what we would do after all…"

Dumbledore continued gently.

"You five students, then, came to alert me? And then you wound up sleeping on my carpet."

Every face blushed.

"Erm, yeah," answered James. "We wanted to wait for you but we knew we'd fall asleep, so we—" _What? Slept together? Laid together? What's a good way of making this sound reasonable?_

"For warmth and all," said Peter timidly, "since the castle is drafty and we didn't have a chance to get blankets without the disturbing the portraits."

"Of course," answered Dumbledore delicately, ignoring the fact that it was May. "The stones are a bit chilly at night. I myself have been locked out of my room quite a number of times, left to wait for a kindly House Elf to admit me."

"Really?" asked Peter with interest. Sirius looked askance.

"Anyhow, Professor, we thought you might want to know about the Death Eaters," Sirius prompted. Dumbledore leaned back and twisted his fingers thoughtfully.

"You'll have to forgive me, Sirius, for not reacting more forcefully to this news. For some time now—although this may come as a shock to you—I have suspected Evan Rosier of being a Death Eater. Or at least, a Death Eater of sorts."

Lily did not know what to say. How could Dumbledore have known and not done anything? Why Rosier was still in Hogwarts was a mystery to Lily. James asked her question for her.

"Then why is he still here?" demanded James hotly.

"What would you have me do, James?" asked Dumbledore with well-practiced patience. "Send him out of school so that he could be united with his master? Should I expel him, and for what reason? Even now, not everyone accepts the Death Eaters as the terror organization that it is. If I expelled Evan Rosier from Hogwarts, it would be abandoning him to Voldemort forever—"

Peter winced at the name and Sirius cuffed him on the shoulder with annoyance. Meanwhile—as might be expected—James was furious.

"What? _Abandon_ him? He'd run off right now if he had the brains to manage it! Rosier needs coddling like I need a good dose of _Avada Kedavra_, Professor! How could you even think that he—"

"Please," said Dumbledore sharply. "No one your age, James, who would join the Death Eaters has any real mind of his or her own. Think of it. What type of people would devote everything, their powers, their talents, and even their lives, to one wizard?"

James opened his mouth to say something and then he closed it again. Dumbledore went on with emotion.

"Those are the people we must reach out to the most! They need help. They might yet be saved! Evan Rosier might have moved on, perhaps, and he might have forsaken everything we teach here. But there must always be a chance that he will come back, even if it is only after Voldemort calls him to sacrifice more than his own limbs in service to the Death Eaters.

"If this seems doubtful to you, count the people there. Severus Snape, James, did not number among them. Severus has a past that is conducive to violence and cruelty, _but he was not there_. He did not threaten you or the first year students. He, against all hope, against all likelihood, might yet fight his situation to stand with us against Voldemort. It is this sort of case that stops my hand from signing Evan's expulsion letter. We may one day be at the end of our respective ropes, holding on by a thread, only to be carried home by him."

Lily's eyes were filled with tears, but she was the only one. James was struggling very hard not to argue with Dumbledore over this new point. _The only reason Snape wasn't there is because he's not thick enough to throw in his lot with them while Dumbledore is only a shout away. He needs exterminating, not saving_.

"Sir?" asked Lily tentatively. "Why…why would Rosier tell us that he was a Death Eater, though? I mean...was he trying to impress us? Or intimidate us? He's not so stupid as to not know who we would go to first, is he?"

"Perhaps he thought that you would be prevented from going to me from fear, Lily," said Dumbledore, "although I have the suspicions that he was not thinking so clearly about the situations that would follow his announcement."

Dumbledore sighed.

"There's only one reason that makes sense. Recruitment. I'd have to imagine that if you had waited longer, they would have issued you an invitation."

"Us?" exclaimed Remus.

"The Death Eaters?" cried Peter.

Sirius and James laughed rudely.

"Honestly, Professor," said James, "Rosier would have to be going spare, don't you think, to ask us to be Death Eaters? We hate Dark Magic."

"And you're the best students in this school," said Dumbledore. "Consider it, James. Would Voldemort tell his latest initiates to pull a foolish prank on the first year students? Of course not. Voldemort is not a leader to give to-the-letter directions, James. He spreads ideas, and that is why he can always punish someone for not carrying them out to his liking.

"If I am not much mistaken, Voldemort wanted to see if James Potter—son of a notoriously liberal pureblood family and talented in his own right—would turn to Dark Magic along with his best friend, who is one of the last holdouts in the Black family. Remus and Peter would have been no small addition to the force either. Remus would be even more valuable if Voldemort knew about his condition.

"You would all be able to provide valuable information about Hogwarts and my own dealings with the Ministry. Naturally, it would not be a symbiotic relationship. Voldemort would use you for all you are worth until you gave yourself totally to his service. Most likely, had you joined up with Evan Rosier, the Death Eaters would have killed Lily right there at the first meeting and tortured any objectors."

The skin on Lily's face was clammy and probably white; she reached for James' hand. It was shaking. Dumbledore would not say something like that so lightly.

"Then what do we do?" asked Sirius angrily, in a quiet voice. James noticed that all of the portraits had been "asleep" through the entire conversation, apart from the fact that each had one eyelid cracked open.

Dumbledore stirred the remnants of his cocoa.

"You can get some sleep, and come to my office this evening with anyone you think feels as strongly as you do. N.E.W.T.s start Wednesday, I believe; and although I'm sure you have completed all your studying already I don't want to take any more of your valuable time. I'm going to leave you with these papers," said Dumbledore as he tapped a desk drawer with his wand. He pulled out first a fuzzy nightcap (quickly stuffed back into the drawer) and then a sheaf of blank parchment. Swirling his wand in a complicated way, he tapped the stack of paper twice. Letters bloomed from his wand, and a heading of brilliant orange and gold and red inks topped the page.

"The Order of the Phoenix?" asked Lily, puzzled. Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes. For any witches or wizards who are prepared for action."

"Sir?" asked Peter. "Should you really…er, well, be giving this to us? I mean, you're our teacher and all… Is this allowed?"

Dumbledore laughed kindly.

"I feel the Ministry is very selective in what it approves or disapproves of, Peter. No, probably this is not allowed. I beg you to consult these papers in private and only pass them along to students of seventh year whom you suspect would be interested. And I have two closing comments. The first is a question: how did you manage to end the discussion in the dungeons?"

"Erm… we managed to physically…ah, _convince_ them that we weren't interested," said James.

"Actually, Sirius used his remarkable ability to make everyone feel like shit—oh." Remus colored badly. "I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore."

"Moony!" said Sirius, surprised. "I believe that Prongs and I swear in front of the administration, not you."

"No," said James with a smile, "Remus only does it on accident; and he'll be embarrassed for years to come from now."

Remus was still bright red as Dumbledore nodded briskly.

"Excellent. As long as no one was hexed too badly and Madam Pomfrey won't need to be involved, we may keep the whole of this incident quiet with the faculty. We are at my second point, then; and this I say mostly for Lily's benefit.

"I am not sure to what degree you are informed of the life of Evan Rosier—whom I believe is the first student of your year to become a Death Eater—but let me share some important information. He is not a pure-blooded, but pretends almost languorously to be. His parents are wealthy, titled in a Muggle fashion, and completely susceptible to the slightest suggestions about how they should live their lives. The elder Rosier is weak-willed, or what you students might call a white-faced wally. The mother is fantastically wrapped up in herself. Evan Rosier is in Slytherin because he cares only for himself, for his own wants and desires."

Lily did not think that she would ever forget Dumbledore's calling Rosier a "white-faced wally." From the snigger in James' face, he wouldn't either. Dumbledore breezed onwards.

"It may come as a shock to you, but Rosier is also a marvelous student of Potions," said the Headmaster. The Marauders exchanged looks. Lily and Snape were the best Potions students with no competition. Rosier, as far as they knew, never received an outstanding comment in his life.

"Yes, it is so," confirmed Dumbledore. "Even as he is brash and headstrong in personality, Rosier nevertheless possesses keen accuracy and patience in his studies. If he feels the subject matter is worthy, he will do and do and do the lesson until he learns it. Stubbornness, you know, often follows both Gryffindors and Slytherins. Rosier may not effortlessly command magic as you all do, but he is persistent. Every teacher agrees on that. Why do you have such an expression of awe on your face, Remus?"

Surprised, Remus closed his mouth and shrugged.

"I…er…it's just unexpected to me that you know so much about the students here, Professor," he said.

"Well, it is only my job," smiled Dumbledore graciously. "But all that aside, we have not yet hit the point. In theory, Evan would be the perfect brewer of Potions. He is mechanical and meticulous in his preparation and down to the minute in the stewing. Then why is he not top of the N.E.W.T. class and above Lily and Severus?"

Dumbledore leaned forward conspiratorially.

"Because Evan does not use strong magic," he said, almost urgently. "His potions are weak although they are well made. He does not let the heart of his magic enter into his creations, and that is why he scrapes by his practical exams! He does not know how to be passionate about anything, or how to love anything for its own sake! That is a weakness, a grave weakness. And it will only lead him in a circle of venom for the Muggleborn girl who should be worse than he is at everything and is instead ten times better. Or who should be unpopular and has many close friends. Or who should be ugly and is instead quite lovely. I imagine that you, Lily, have been causing considerable discord this year. Rosier cannot consider two sides to any issue, even the issue of magical blood. He hates you for what he is not and he will not bring himself to strive for any better because that would mean admitting his failings."

Dumbledore straightened and stood up totally, effectively ending the meeting. Quietly, James, Sirius, Lily, Remus, and Peter filed out of the room. Their heads swarmed with different thoughts that buzzed like the bees in a garden.

…

That night, there was quite a crowd in the Headmaster's office. The portraits were most disapproving. Dumbledore sat tapping his quill against his desk.

"And your answers?" he asked. "Will you, upon leaving Hogwarts, join the Order of the Phoenix?"

"Yes," proclaimed James Potter while ready to leap out of the school that instant and fight Voldemort. He squeezed Lily's hand affirmingly. She smiled and squeezed back.

"Yes," answered Lily Evans, with pride for herself and for the brave men and women around her (especially the one gripping her fingers tightly).

"Yes," said Sirius Black, knowing that he could banish the ghosts of his family.

"Yes," said Remus Lupin with no small shudder on the inside.

"Yes," said Peter Pettigrew, feeling that no one could get to him now.

"Yes," said Emmeline Vance, standing alongside her fiancé.

"Yes," said Caradoc Dearborn, eyes full of patriotism.

"Yes," said Benjy Fenwick.

"Yes," said Marlene McKinnon.

"Yes," said Dorcas Meadows.

"And so it is done!" said Dumbledore in a mighty voice. "The Order of the Phoenix welcomes you into their ranks this very summer."

No one spoke. Dumbledore gave a tiny grin and the enchantment was broken. He spoke in a normal voice.

"I suppose you ten believe that this was my way of taking the pressure of N.E.W.T.s off. No fear now, eh?"

**Finally, there we are. Possibly the longest chapter there is. Sorry about the wait, everyone, but now that the school year's ending I finally have time to write. Feedback is requested and unsolved questions are welcomed.**

**THANK YOU ALL A SUPER LOT**


	41. It Was the End

N.E.W.T.s testing reared up to smack Lily and James full in the faces soon after their meeting with Dumbledore. Every student proceeded on a subject-by-subject basis to the Great Hall, where they were greeted by a desk with two quills (the extra, explained Professor McGonagall, was provided in the case of a breakage or a burnout), two inkwells, and full roll of blank parchment to answer the essay questions. Since each subject covered by a N.E.W.T. had its own full day of testing, James and the Marauders took their first test in Ancient Runes before Lily started her exams. She read her Transfiguration notes and waited for them to enter the common room that afternoon. The Portrait Hole opened.

"How was it?" she asked expectantly.

Sirius sat in an armchair and faced the wall. Remus went straight to his room. James threw himself next to Lily on the couch and buried his face in her shoulder.

"Don't let me think, Lily. Never again."

Lily just laughed and stroked his neck and his hair, looking worriedly over her notes all the while.

She found out what James had meant the next day at the Transfiguration exam. Although the Great Hall was considerably less full than it had been for O.W.L.s (due to the rigor of N.E.W.T. coursework, only the strong survived), it still seemed unbearably warm and stuffy. Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout and Professor Slughorn manned the perimeter of the desk with their wands, ready to administer quick healing or calming spells. Marlene had to be given a pepper-up potion after she fainted dead away during the second hour. Sirius had to be given two detentions after he pretended to faint and knocked over Travers' inkwell during his fall. The written portion took three full hours of their lives. It addressed everything from the characteristics of a proper Cross-Species Switch based on body mass ratios and bloods levels to the last wizard to successfully Transfigure a dragon without losing a limb (and that was Merlin).

The practical test was administered by a bleary-eyed man who told everyone to call him Professor Tofty and then mixed up all their respective names with people who may or may not have existed at all. Lily herself nearly suffered apoplexy when she discovered that Professor Tofty had put her down under the name of Musidora Barkwith. Even after Tofty rectified the mistake, Lily was still shaking at the idea of the entire test being botched anyway. She consequently almost changed her jack knife into a jackdaw instead of a jackrabbit and needed to perform a hasty supplemental spell.

Professor Tofty was more annoyed than amused when Sirius and James managed to conjure up a herd of Hippogriffs for part of their cooperative exams, but then again, he had made the mistake of pairing them in the first place. On the brighter side, the Hippogriffs molted into harmless butterflies minutes later.

"Marvelous, but twisted," proclaimed Professor Tofty. "You lads better give me your names again. The Great Merlin knows that no one in this hall should be confused with you."

After the students performed a few more spells, the students started up to the castle only just in time for dinner.

"Potter, I nearly died back there in the middle of the practical," sniggered Caradoc Dearborn.

"Pardon?" asked James in the tone of utmost innocence, causing Caradoc to snort.

"As if no one knows who Transfigured Wilkes' cow into a spotted sow. How did you manage it dead under Tofty's nose?"

James just shrugged and smiled. Lily sighed, but didn't say a word. By now, James knew her feelings on his respect for the position of Head Boy.

"Anything Wilkes makes is enough like a pig anyway," said Sirius easily. "He can't conjure anything more than a lump. He's been lead on all these years by conjuring things that resemble his reflection."

"I just used this spell I got from a book back home," James said to Caradoc. "And I hid it under another Charm so Wilkes wouldn't notice it right off. It wasn't too hard, specially considering Tofty's sneezing fit."

"Not for nothing," began Remus. "You _do_ know that you interfered with another student's N.E.W.T. exam, don't you, Prongs? If anyone finds out, I doubt even Dumbledore—"

"—would believe that you had done it," smirked Sirius. "It's reasonable enough to be like something Wilkes would do himself. That tosser only got into N.E.W.T. Transfiguration by copying everything Rosier did in fifth year. It's a well-established fact that Wilkes is about a nose hair away from being a full-blown Squib. "

"I'm with Remus, but there's nothing to be done now," Lily replied delicately, kissing James on the cheek. It was sometimes best if she just ignored Sirius' steady stream of bile for the Slytherins. She knew that he hadn't yet forgiven his brother's crowd for the dungeons. "Though it would be better, James, for you to not sabotage another Slytherin's N.E.W.T. exam in the future."

"He sabotaged it himself by showing up and writing his name down," answered James carelessly. He grinned some more when Caradoc shook his head and laughed.

_The amazing thing is that James managed to do it_, thought Lily. Not for the first time since she actually paid attention to the complexity of his mischief, Lily wondered just how talented James was.

No amount of wondering stopped Lily from hitting her pillow hard at the very second her patrols brought her back to the dorms. Transfiguration was a very grueling test for her, and it was only the first N.E.W.T. that Lily had to take. Although Lily had no difficulty with either the Charms or the Potions finals, the stress of the test-taking wore her down by her the next and final week of examinations. By her final N.E.W.T. exam—Herbology—it looked as if Lily might need a few solid weeks of sleep in order to recuperate. Herbology took far longer than the other exams because the class needed to wait for the plants' ripening to prune their valerian roots. She found James waiting for her outside the greenhouse just as dusk set in.

He pushed his hand through his hair as recklessly as ever, and Lily was struck again by how handsome she thought he was.

"How'd it go?"

Lily sighed and stared up at him tiredly.

"Miriam Strout's Mandrake went bonkers and smashed her pot of lovage leaves into her knotgrass cutting. She went into hysterics and Madam Pomfrey needed to give her three times the usual dose of potion to calm her down."

"Oh." James ran his hand through his hair again. "Listen, Lily, I brought you some supper—"

"Supper?" asked Lily, perking up immediately. "Lead on."

"—and then maybe we could just, you know, hang around. Do something together."

"Is Sirius making Peter's wand invisible again and hiding it in the Common Room?" Lily asked shrewdly. Sirius had been doing that often lately, ever since Peter had mentioned that his mum knew Mrs. Rosier from the local witches' club.

"Well, yes," conceded James. "He is doing that, but that's not why I want to be with you. Here, just eat. I wrapped it up from dinner. You'd need to run to get there in time for the last course."

James produced a small package from somewhere. The wrapped packet contained a cold chicken sandwich and a generous helping of pickles. He looked around for a place to sit but Lily waved her nonchalantly.

"I've sat watching bloody herbs ripen for the past few hours, James. I don't even want to sit anymore. We can walk and eat."

After a few minutes of quiet munching, Lily noticed that James was steering them towards the Quidditch pitch.

"What are we doing, James?"

"My broom's out there," he answered distantly. "I was practicing before."

"The Quidditch season is over," answered Lily over some juicy pickles. James looked at her with mournful eyes. He was taking the loss of his favorite pastime very badly.

"Still, Lily. Hogwarts has a great pitch. Just because the Cup is ours and it's seventh year doesn't mean I'm giving up my broom and let the pitch go to waste."

Lily snorted. James talked like he was the only one who used the thing.

"I'm sure it will get on without you. As long as you leave the grass a nice note telling it to grow—and sign it, you know, so it's certain the order is from you, James Potter—I think everything'll manage."

James ignored Lily's flippant attitude towards Quidditch. It was her one imperfection in his opinion, and he wasn't sure he wanted to tell her that he wanted to play Quidditch professionally one day.

"Say," he said, as they approached his lone broomstick floating in the middle of the grassy pitch, "why do I never see you flying, Lily?"

Lily finished the sandwich with gusto.

"Because, James," she said primly, all the while licking her pickle-stained fingers, "I am not a flyer. Flying sounded brilliant, actually, back in first year, until I got up in the air and nearly crashed into the castle."

"Ah," smiled James. "I think I remember that."

"The castle moved into my way," Lily answered indignantly. "Besides, I won't be a fan of broomsticks until they have some restraints and parachutes at the back."

"You're a witch and you have your wand. I'd hope you could manage flying on a broomstick."

"I'm also a coward at high speeds, and I think I would cry if I had to fly one."

James easily slung one leg over his broom, sitting nearer to the front than usual. He looked back at Lily over his shoulder. She knew what he was thinking from the bright look in his eyes. Her skin was getting uncomfortable.

"Lily—"

"James, no."

"C'mon, let me take you for a ride. I brought you dinner."

"I don't care."

"You're being right stubborn, Lily. You've got about a week left at Hogwarts. When will you and I ever have this chance again?"

"Actually, the only chance is safely lodged in hell, James."

James sighed, long-suffering, and raised his eyebrow at his girlfriend. Lily's feet were firmly planted on the ground and her fists were tight at her sides.

"Lily, I even watched you eat pickles. You're disgusting when you eat pickles."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are. Now please get on this bloody broomstick."

"Why should I?"

"So I can show you the sky."

Lily glared and James stared back obstinately. Both were silhouetted against the softly setting rays of light, and both were just as stubborn as the other.

When the very tip top of the white sun disappeared beneath the hills, Lily grudgingly took a step forward. And then another. And another. Lily paused an arm's length away from the broom.

"You know that I've never given you the speech about breaking my heart, James. The one that I ought to have given you when we first kissed and all that. Now I'm more afraid for some other things, so if you break my legs, arms, skull, wrists, neck—"

"Lily, Lily," interrupted James with what could only be a patient smirk. "You've seen me ride this broom for six years. How many times have I fallen?"

"At least twice, but since I wasn't watching your every move for a while I can't be sure."

"That means that I fall every three years. We won't stay up in the sky that long."

"Har har," said Lily, settling behind James with a look of grim death. She gingerly lowered herself onto the broom and noisily unwrapped a sherbet lemon. Pushing back her red hair, Lily crunched the candy mercilessly.

"What do I do?"

"Well," began James delightedly, now the charming gentleman as he had gotten his way, "you may sit behind me like you are, and hold onto me while I fly over the field. Try not to pinch, love."

Lily threw her arms around James' waist and held him in a steel-like vise. A few seconds passed. Lily was just beginning to think that James was using this entire flying shtick as some excuse to segue into a snog when James spoke in a tensed voice.

"Right then, so 'pinch' might not've been the best word. Let's use 'suffocate.' Or even 'murder.' Try not to murder me, Lily, by squeezing me to bits in your bare hands like that."

"Promise me that you won't fly high, James Potter."

"I promise I won't fly too high."

"That's not what I—"

With a laugh, James kicked off the ground. Lily didn't know it but the broom rose slower than usual due to the extra heft. To her it felt like a lightning-quick shot into the air, and she bit into her candy hard so as not to scream while James tested out some barrel maneuvers.

"James, keep this broom upright!"

"What?" he asked, rolling over to the side. "Is this a problem for—"

"_JAMES_!" Lily yelled shrilly, pinching at him as hard as she could. He righted the broom and she knew, perfectly _knew_, that the arrogant dunghead was smiling.

"What? You know that you have a chance that few others—no others, actually—have ever had, Lily. I, the best flyer in this whole school, have taken you on a ride through the skies. The Slytherin captain would kill for this chance to see my maneuvers, though I wouldn't allow the close quarters you have."

"You know what? _I'll_ kill for this, James."

There was no answer, only a radiating smugness. Lily groaned and buried her face in the back of his robes as James began to dip and swerve. According to Lily's thought process, it was quite possible that they were no longer over the pitch.

"This is ridiculously pointless," she said painfully. "What are we doing up here again? I'm going to vomit my pickles."

By the moving of his back muscles, Lily had a feeling that James had turned around to look at her briefly. Since all she could see (or wanted to see, after that first glimpse of unforgiving ground) was his black robes, however, Lily was surprised when James gave up his usual joking game and answered her seriously.

"Because I am fulfilling one of my term requirements before I leave Hogwarts."

"And what might that be?" asked Lily, almost not wanting the answer.

"To take you, Lily Evans, flying over the school in the moonlight. I'd always thought that you'd never get up here yourself."

Mild surprise turned into a strangely quick burst of curiosity, which in turn roused Lily's neck muscles. Lily's head shot up to look right at James. He was looking straight back at her, too. In one instant, Lily saw the fields, the hills, the mountains, the Forbidden Forest, the castle, and James' face spread out before her like a table setting dipped in the white chocolate of the young moon.

"Oh…" she breathed, knowing for the first time why anyone would want to be rushing through the spicy cold air on a broom.

"Yeah," said James dreamily, but he was not watching the landscape. He had seen it all before, of course, as many times as he could count; tonight there was something (someone) better to look at. "How do you like flying, Lily?"

"I like it fine," she whispered softly. Her fabulous eyes were still fixed on the scenery around and below them, as James knew, but it didn't bother him. Lily would get to him well enough when they touched down. She didn't have this panorama at her fingertips whenever she wanted, and James was generous with his beloved broom with a view.

But Lily was smiling now, her usual, faint, funny little smile that started on one side of her face and ended on the other. It caught James' attention. That smile was all that mattered to him.

"What's so funny?" asked James, taking time to readjust the aerial course that he had flown innumerable times before. He observed Lily as she grinned to show her teeth while she scanned the horizon wide-eyed.

"It's like you ordered this up for me…you always do things like this for me…"

James felt a little thrill flick up inside and it added fuel to his smile. Naturally, he realized that only a bottom-level Slytherin would be thick enough not to appreciate that he went all-out in planning these things, but it was good that Lily knew it too. Dates like this didn't happen often. James always made sure these were things Lily would remember. And associate with him. Forever.

"Well, yes, but not this time. Too expensive to order it."

Lily blinked and looked at him skeptically, her typical type of sauce entering her expression. James loved it. Lily would try to be sharp with him while he was still in charge of the broom and she afraid of heights.

"Honestly then, James, you could try being less of a—"

James pulled into a dive, whisking the broom through pitch and skirting the golden hoops on the edge. Lily screamed in protest and pushed her face into his robes again, balling great fistfuls of them in her hands. The wind streaked through her hair and in her ears and then there was a great _thud_ just before she thought she would die. James had managed, insufferably, to land them both on the field, just where they had taken off from.

Lily rolled off the broom and flopped onto the fresh grass.

"Never again."

James picked up his broom casually with one hand and stood over Lily, his messy hair only a slightly weird part of his long, strange shadow.

"You didn't like it?"

Lily huffed and got to her feet, trying to shake out her thick hair. It was horribly windblown.

"Leave it," said James hoarsely, taking her hand away and holding it in his. Lily met his shining, wild eyes with her own. It still gave her chills when he went to kiss her, and he did that often enough anyway.

James touched his hand to Lily's cheek and he slowly pushed back into her hair. She tilted her head back and, smiling, James put his face down to hers. Softly, his warm lips kneaded hers once, twice, and again. The quiet, golden heat was enough for Lily as her hand slid over his heart. She wanted to sit right back on the grass again before she realized that they probably ought to be inside by now. Lily sighed, and carefully stored these softly stolen moments in her memory. She stepped back.

After a half-a-second's delay, James looked up and blinked his clear eyes. He always seemed shocked when Lily stopped kissing him, even if they both knew they had to leave.

"We should go back," said Lily in a husky voice. James shook his head at her words.

"Sorry, but I'm out here until late. It's the Marauders' last full moon ride, you know. I've got to lock up my broom and get over to the Shrieking Shack."

Lily tilted her head and smiled the purest grin James had ever seen.

"You're all so lucky…to have each other. But wouldn't the last night at Hogwarts be a better time?"

"No," said James with some sadness. "Moony can't choose when to transform."

"Oh, of course," answered Lily, but she made no move to go and neither did James. They looked at each others—standing only four hands' lengths apart—before Lily asked him:

"James, why isn't being an Animagus a more major part of your life? You three just treat being Animagi like hobbies, or a game night. If I was one, I think I'd be it all the time. I'd go around and fly or swim or run all over Hogwarts."

James laughed. Lily smiled. When James laughed, he laughed with his entire head and all of his hair bounced different ways and his lips opened into a smile.

"I've no doubt that you'd be a fearsome…er, whatever you'd be. And I know what you mean because for a while, all we did was tear-arse about the castle and wherever. But the truth is, Lily, that a stag is an obnoxiously obvious animal. You don't see the same stag four times and think it's just a coincidence.

"Now, a dog is easier. In some lights it looks like a bear, or a wolf, or itself, or any number of other things. And a rat is mostly unseen. A stag, though…the antlers always get in the way of any good disguise. Even if no one does see us, we can still never be sure. So we got smarter over the years and now we only run at night. Like now. Tonight with Moony."

Lily got the feeling that James was delicately trying to send her away. She knew James was only doing it so she didn't meet up with a werewolf in the night and she understood, but there was something Lily needed to say before departing.

"All right, I'm off—" James smiled thankfully "—but I'll say just one thing before I leave," said Lily. "I think I've figured out why you don't need to be an Animagus all the time. It's because you're so much the stag already, James. You're…you're just brave and honest, and no one could mistake you for anything but yourself. You blaze right in. You'd never be tricky—you _can't_ be tricky—and you have to fight with your antlers because you just don't have the teeth in you to sneak around with. That's why I like you so much, James. Stags don't do anything but stand up for what they are."

James messed up his hair and remained silent for an overly long while. Lily wondered what on earth she was doing. They were only seventeen.

A howl interrupted their thoughts. Suddenly, James was all business. He assessed the direction of the howl and turned back to Lily.

"You should get going."

Lily nodded. Somehow, over the small period of time, her throat and eyes had welled up with emotion. She knew the same painful tenderness was inside James because it peeked out of his face, but to bridge that…to lay it out clearly in the white moon for what it was could not be done. Lily consoled herself with leaving him one last kiss pressed against his lips.

"And James?" she murmured, gazing up through her lashes.

"Yes, Lily?" he replied.

"Never again turn over in the air while I'm on your broom."

James' whole face split into a wide, rakish grin. They parted ways. As Lily neared the castle, she turned back to see the shadows of a galloping hooves and a tangle of antlers disappearing into the forest. Lily smiled. The antlers were just like his hair.

At Gryffindor Tower, Emmeline stopped her.

"Lily, Dumbledore gave me this. It's a bit of parchment for you."

Lily unfurled the note and read it curiously.

_Lily,_

_You'll need to pardon me for this impromptu message, but I have been troubled by guilt for the past several days. When you were in my office the night of the attacks, I am afraid that something (or rather, two somethings) must have fallen from your pocket. I discovered and digested two hard candies from my floor, and I apologize for taking them. They must be a Muggle candy of some kind. I realize that it is now the final stretch of your exams but I must (MUST) ask you for the name of those delicious lemon things. And perhaps, if you have an extra one or two, then I ask if I might be treated to another._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Lily laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Emmeline with a smirk, curling against the stone wall. Lily handed her the paper and Emmeline's thin eyebrows arched perfectly.

"So your obsession with those Muggle sweets has even gotten to Dumbledore. You should let the Ministry patent those to fight You-Know-Who."

Lily just shook her head. Emmeline was known as an on-again, off-again dieter who had always resented Lily's ability to fill her insatiable appetite for sweets. Then Lily noticed that Emmeline, the social butterfly, was standing alone in front of the Fat Lady.

"Where's Dorcas, Emmy?"

"Writing to Fabian again," yawned Emmeline. "And Marlene's busy deciding which old socks to bin here and which to save and darn up at home."

"And Caradoc?" asked Lily. She was careful not to miss Emmeline's small, secret, wistful smile at the mention of her beloved fiancé.

"He's packing. He thinks he won't have time to do it just before the term's out."

Lily unconsciously cast a look to the great window at the end of the hall, which showed a magnificent landscape that hid the Marauders so well. She felt more than a little lonely.

'D'you want to patrol with me? James won't be here tonight."

Emmeline seemed surprised but she didn't say a word. Then a friendly smile touched her red lips.

"Sure, Lily. I'd love to patrol with you."

**The penultimate chapter is finally up. If there is anything still puzzling you, this is the time to review and tell me! Hint hint hint, that is. Thank you to everyone who has come this far.**


	42. It Was the Beginning

"It's your last breakfast with us, Evans!"

"Last time I ever get a plate of sausages this good…"

"Hey, Potter, I know I always ask but…could you bung me some of those eggs? You'll never get this chance again—Thanks a load, mate."

"Black, get away from me. No, I really do mean it. Sod off."

"I love you too."

"Who's got a bloody quill I can use?"

"D'you think they'd let us take one of these goblets away? For, you know, memory's sake?"

"Lily, here. It's my address, in case I forget on the train. Owl me."

In the manner of the usual chaos, the students of Hogwarts were enjoying their final breakfast of the year together. For the seventh years, it was more meaningful than just a meal. It was their last meal as Hogwarts students or as kids at all. The train would be waiting for them right after their meal. People were tearing up already. The second half of breakfast was given over totally to bawling and generally emotional fits.

"Oh, oh goodbye Hagrid!" sniffled Marlene, hugging her arms as far around the hefty groundskeeper as she could. She was the only Gryffindor girl who cried, however. Both Emmeline and Dorcas were bearing up well; and Lily was too enmeshed in farewells to give herself to sobbing. There was something joyous about watching Lily and everyone who was sad to see her go. She carried herself like a queen, making sure to be kind to everyone who came up to her.

"Now Marlene," Hagrid said kindly, "S'not like we won't see each other again, yeh know. Things bein' the way they are." Hagrid winked with a meaningful look at Dumbledore, who was chatting with Davy Gudgeon and the Bloody Baron near the High Table. Marlene's blue eyes widened into saucers.

"You mean you're with the Order of—"

"Shhh," quieted Hagrid hastily. "'Course. Dumbledore's man, I am. He needs anythin' done he knows he can come right ter me ter do it. An' you didn't need no persuadin' to join up neither, as I heard."

Marlene nodded shyly. She glanced back at Lily, but her friend was deep in conversation with Agatha Timms.

"…go into farming maybe," the Slytherin finished. "Me Uncle reckons I can get a cheap deal on some land in Brighton for a shop area. I'll be seeing you, Lily. You'd be welcome by whenever you like."

"I'll consider it," said Lily with a gracious smile. "Bye, Agatha."

The darker girl smiled.

"You've always been all right, Evans. I hope you stay that way." Agatha gave a pointed squint at James, who returned it unflinchingly. Agatha was proud of being a Slytherin and James was proud of being a Gryffindor, so it was hopeless to think that they'd ever find common ground. They supported different Quidditch clubs too, which was probably their biggest obstacle to overcome.

Lily laughed and wove her fingers between his. James relaxed and smiled. He and the Marauders had said all of their goodbyes, giving them only to the people who really mattered. Namely, the Quidditch team, in James' case. Everyone else he'd see soon enough and he had made no trips to the table trimmed in green and silver.

"Trust me," said Lily, "I'll hold the thought, Agatha, in spite of James."

Agatha grinned and went back to her table. James had just opened his mouth to say something to Lily when she turned around to a tap on the shoulder.

"Erm…Lily?" said Arkie Philpott tentatively.

"Hello, Arkie. Had a nice first year?" she asked with the same radiant smile she gave everyone. James laughed quietly. The first year was blushing. From his other side, Sirius looked entertained also. He winked to James and whispered something to Remus and Peter.

"Well I, er, just wanted to say thanks for… you know, this year and all. You were really and great and all, even though I'm a first year."

"Second year now," reminded Lily. Arkie just grinned embarrassedly, apparently quite aware of his stuttering and unable to control it.

"Right, well, er, I just wanted to give you something because you're leaving and all."

"Arkie, you don't have to…" Lily trailed off while the boy held out his wand in front of him. Slowly, tenderly, one white lily bloomed flower first from the tip of the oak wand. He plucked the flower out after a good amount of stem and pushed it on her.

"Here."

Stiffly, he turned and beat a sharp retreat to the other first year boys, who were watching him agog. Lily twirled the flower in her hands and looked at James. He enjoyed the sensation. Inside, he was proud. Proud of how many people loved Lily, although just a few more years on Arkie would have meant a heated conflict. James wasn't so _very_ jealous when it came to first years.

"Go on," said James, inclining his head lazily towards the gabbling part of the table. "Make his day."

Lily graced him with another smile.

"You know I love you more, James."

A wave of excitement washed over his body. _Calm, collected. Cool_, James reminded himself, only smiling and nodding.

"I know. That's why I'm letting you do it."

"You don't _let_ me do anything," said Lily indignantly. James laughed.

"You only think that."

Giving James her usual unconvinced look that meant that she wasn't really mad, Lily stood and made her way to the end of the table. The first years clammed up.

"Arkie," she said, tapping him right back on the shoulder. He turned slowly and stood up, peering nervously between Lily and James.

"Yeah, Lily?"

Lily put her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for the flower."

Arkie stammered as she released him. Lily heard Sirius and James laughing behind her and she only hoped that Arkie wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"Wha…well…I…er…"

Suddenly, the teachers announced that the carriages were waiting. Arkie blustered off with a half-wave at Lily. She smiled broadly and walked back to James and the Marauders. He stood up with an arm around her.

"Feel better now?"

"It was a little enough thank-you for such a nice flower."

"Prongs could make you fifty of those flowers, Lily," said Sirius with a raised eyebrow. She would obviously need to explain the little gift. Lily liked Sirius very much, but she wasn't only sure that he "got it" when it came to certain things.

"Yes, but James is talented enough that one lily doesn't mean as much. He needs bigger and better gifts to get my attention. I'd need a bushel a day."

James raised his own eyebrows and said nothing, indulgently kissing Lily's temple. Through no fault of his own, Arkie Philpott reminded Lily of that night of confusion and anger in the dungeons. And the night that followed that. Lily shrugged a bit closer to James.

Something very odd occurred to her just then, and she was curious to find out something about future midnight wanderers of Hogwarts.

"James, I suppose you and Sirius, Remus, and Peter wrote the definitive work on wandering through Hogwarts?"

The four exchanged pleased expressions, Pettigrew's most bubbly.

"Definitive map, more like," answered James.

"Right up there with _Hogwarts, A History_," quipped Remus dryly. Sirius and James rolled their eyes.

"That bloody book, Moony," began Sirius. "If we had stuck to that, all we would have learned was the number of stones in the Great Hall and nothing about useful stuff—"

"Supremely interesting, Sirius, I'm sure," breezed Lily. "But whatever did you four do with that map?"

This time, the smugness was unmistakable. Sirius and James mostly oozed it into the air.

"We left it," said Remus, hurriedly trying to cut off what would be a grand speech from Messrs Padfoot and Prongs.

"Left it?" echoed Lily incredulously. "Where? In a broom cupboard?"

"Nowhere so pleasant," remarked Sirius. "It's in Filch's desk drawer."

"_What_? He confiscated it?"

Sirius and James snorted derisively and even kindly Remus and Peter looked dubious. After all, they had mostly becomes heroes in the school from their extremely low opinion of the cranky caretaker It was common knowledge that someone had tied up Mrs. Norris by her paws on the last full moon, and although Lily had tactfully not mentioned it, James hadn't either. A sure sign of guilt.

"It was a tricky question, to be sure," explained James grandly. "What to do with our marvelous invention? The written copy of our Hogwarts achievements? Our child? The fifth Marauder? We took a vote, actually, on whether to take it home or not."

"But then we realized that it would only get dusty on someone's fireplace," continued Sirius, "and what the hell good is that? So, we decided to leave it here."

"To ensure the expansion of Filch's rheumatism into the _other _leg while he chases after whoever takes up our mantles," said Remus with a hint of a grin.

"It wouldn't have been good enough to just lose it, though, or leave it lying around where anyone could have it," said Peter protectively.

"Or else someone like bleeding Rosier's kid could get their filthy hands on it," said Sirius viciously. "We decided that the only task comparable to actually creating that map was snatching it from the jaws of Hell itself."

"Or, in plainer words, going into Filch's office to get it," finished James with a broad grin.

"But…but that's almost impossible," sputtered Lily. "Who would even think to do that? You're all absolutely barking."

"We know how impossible it is because we've done things like that before," said James patiently. "When you're in Filch's office often enough, you tend to get bored quick and then you take a shifty around. He's got some wicked things in there, Lily. Only those worthy to use the Map by virtue of constantly being in trouble will get to it. That's fair. And Filch can look at it all he wants and scratch at his warts and wonder when he was clever enough to get that blank bit of parchment that we always carried."

Lily was confounded. Why would they care so much? It was a nice use of Charms. It was madness. It was genius. It was an ordinary plan for the Marauders.

"Seventh years out!" called Professor McGonagall impatiently, cutting into Lily's reverie. "You may say your farewells on the train! Keep moving!"

The seventh years hurried to the doors of the Great Hall. Although they received preferential seating on the Hogwarts Express because they were allowed on first, there were still numerous goodbyes to be said to the teachers. Professor Slughorn's mustache was dampened and his face overly ruddy as he clasped Lily's hands farewell. Professor Flitwick was all smiles with a too-large tissue clutched to his face. Lily knew the strict woman would never admit to it, but Professor McGonagall's eyes were just a little too wet for someone who had professed—not far in the past—to have never had taught such a miserable batch of magicians.

"Bye, Professor!" waved James slyly. Professor McGonagall's nose quivered unbecomingly as she took a shaky intake of air to compose herself. Sirius was grinning in a particularly cheeky way. For all the trouble they had caused, all the detentions they had served, and all the cauldrons they had split open, Sirius and James were the best and most charming Transfiguration students in the year.

"Potter, Black," she said, managing a stern voice. "I…I'll just say good luck to you. Off with you now. And I don't want to hear anything from the Ministry about you two being arrested in the future, and if you are for Merlin's sake _don't_ let on that I was your teacher—"

James let go of Lily and he and Sirius enveloped Professor McGonagall in a huge bear hug, rocking her back and forth. Lily was amazed to see Professor McGonagall sobbing into their shoulders. They were both about half-a-head taller than she was.

Remus came up next to Lily and muttered in her ear, "Never thought you'd see that, would you?"

"I never had any doubt," feigned Lily. She and Remus laughed while Sirius and James freed themselves from their favorite teacher's embrace.

"Now, now, Professor," Sirius was saying loudly, fighting to keep the laughter in his face from pouring out of his mouth, "I'm sure I'll see you again. You can visit us in Azkaban after Prongs and I transform Gringotts into a giant porcelain pig."

"Oh, get on!" snapped McGonagall. "The both of you!" She straightened up her sleek hair and exhaled a shuddering, stabilizing breath. "And neither one with the decency to offer me a handkerchief!"

"Here, Professor McGonagall," said Remus with considerable patience. He offered her one and she dabbed her eyes lightly.

"Thank you, Mr. Lupin, for constantly covering Potter and Black's mistakes. I _will_ miss you all, but just a bit, mind you. Just a bit. Where's Pettigrew? I'll need to see him off as well…"

Professor McGonagall hurried away, still wiping her face dry. James and Sirius were grinning villainously at their success. Lily offered a faux harrumph.

"Who'd have imagined that you'd crack McGonagall like a toffee egg?" commented Remus.

"She's always loved us," said Sirius off-handedly. "Since first year, when we both got one hundred percent on her first test. We didn't even have the mirrors then, and we sat on the opposite sides of the room. Then she paired us together and it's history from there."

"Speaking of history, I notice that Professor Binns isn't here to send us off proper," observed James wryly. Lily laughed.

"Didn't you give up History of Magic, James, in third year? After you spent the entire second half of the final exam making detailed burn marks in the desk with your wand?"

"I was carving out my deepest affections for you," answered James with a composed face. Lily squinted at him. She could never be sure that he was joking at times like these. There was sharp poke to the back of her ribs. She ignored it.

"More like destroying property, James—"

There was another poke.

"Lily, Dumbledore wants to talk to you before we leave," said Marlene hurriedly. "Do you see him standing by the door? He's looking this way."

Lily colored.

"Ooh, sorry, Marley, I thought it was James poking me. He's always trying to distract me so I hope you can forgive—"

"Ah, right then," said James with a nod at Marlene. "I'll meet you in the carriage—"

"No, no," interrupted Marlene. "He'd like to speak you too, James."

James and Sirius exchanged a look and a shrug. Remus didn't seem to have any clue either; and certainly Lily did not. Perhaps Dumbledore was going to take back their Head badges and stomp on them?

Lily giggled. That was a funny picture. She couldn't help it, despite aggravating looks from James that strongly suggested that she had lost her mind. Lily stopped up her hiccupping giggle (undoubtedly a prelude of hysterics to what would be a good cry later that day) only when they reached the headmaster. The sun shone in behind Dumbledore, and it looked as if he had brought the streaming light into the hall himself.

"Another year passes wherein I get to review my previous judgments," said Dumbledore, appearing wholly amused. "I have the indecency to congratulate myself, actually. It's a pleasant change from previous choices."

Lily squirmed uncomfortably, but James just shrugged. James took compliments much better than Lily did. Dumbledore said nothing else for a moment or so, spending the time to consider the two students before him. Time stretched for one, two, three and four beats. Dumbledore's lips parted, and then shut once more. He didn't seem to like what was going to come out of them. Abruptly, he gazed back out at the grounds through the open doors.

"I was a student here, once. Many years ago. Many years. And I am no different than I was that first day I entered Hogwarts and again on the last day I left. I spent more… time in this school than anyone else I have ever met, even if you and your friends have discovered more about it. I could never cut the tether that binds me to Hogwarts. I can only sit in my tower and watch…" said Dumbledore. "Watch the world from my favorite place in it."

Dumbledore sighed; he looked quite weary. Professor McGonagall snapped out an order to the few straggling seventh years left. It seemed like Sirius was blowing her off and putting up a good fight.

"Still a child, here, at Hogwarts," continued Dumbledore. "It does that to you." He smiled. Lily was touched. His eyes and smile dipped in sadness, but he was sad for _them_, for Lily and James. Curiously enough, Lily felt it. It melted her heart.

"Good luck," he whispered, stretching out his hand. Not as the headmaster or an idol in the wizarding world, or as a living legend, but as a man.

James was flabbergasted. That white hand with so many lines and cuts and scars and imperceptible spots hung in the air, waiting for an equal. _It would always wait_, thought James, though there was only one thing he could do. He reached out his own hand, smoother, slightly tanner, but scarred nonetheless with the trials of battling with a werewolf; and they shook.

Dumbledore smiled clearly and grasped Lily's hand as well, but it was anti-climactic. Her eyes glistened. Dumbledore turned to go back to the mulling crush of students in the hall.

"Professor?" said Lily quietly.

Dumbledore turned around with diffidence. Lily pulled a small drawstring bag from her robes and tapped it with her wand so that it became plump and heavy. It smelled strongly of lemon citrus.

"Here you go."

Surprised, Dumbledore took the bag.

"We'll be seeing each other soon," said Dumbledore with dancing twinkle in his eye. Lily and James nodded. They both turned and hurried off to the carriage Peter was saving for them. Sirius darted out alongside them, under railing remarks from McGonagall. Lily left before Dumbledore opened the bag, but everyone knew what was in it. Before the last student picked up his luggage to leave, Dumbledore had sucked the juice of his first fresh sherbet lemon.

Lily patted her depleted plastic package mournfully on the train ride. She had transferred the majority of the candies into Dumbledore's gift bag…it had been her plan to, after all … but still, it was hard to relinquish her favorite flavor. She was selfish. _I am selfish_, Lily thought shamelessly That was why she tugged James off for one last patrol after an hour or so on the Hogwarts Express.

Sirius had snickered and Remus had demonstrated his imperceptible eye roll. Emmeline, oddly, enough, had restrained herself from saying anything, but by the waggling of her eyebrows she knew as well. The compartment was packed with all of the seventh year Gryffindors, even though the girls volunteered to take their own compartment. Lily had taken James off for what was _not_ a Head duty, but required use of the Head Compartment.

"But Lily, we're not even Head Boy and Girl anymore," teased James as she led him into the empty compartment that neither had used on the autumnal ride to Hogwarts. "This isn't ours now."

"They haven't nominated new ones yet, have they?" asked Lily, pushing James down snugly into the seat. He laughed when Lily climbed onto the seat beside him.

"You're forever trying to seduce me, Lily," said James softly, letting his fingers travel from the side of her face to the plump of her lips down the edge of her jaw. She inhaled sharply as the feather touches from his fingers drew her face closer.

"You were saying the opposite at the beginning of this year," she breathed.

"We were different people at the beginning," said James neutrally, his words a hot puff of air over her face.

"Beginning of what?" asked Lily, as certain that she knew the answer as she was certain of James' hands sliding into her hair and down her back.

"The beginning of us," he answered, and then his lips grazed hers before they began what could be called an all out attack. Lily felt that she owed it to herself to have one, last, good (great) snog on Hogwarts property. It should probably being short, though, so that they weren't deserting their friends for too long.

Nevertheless, Lily was sitting half on top of James nearly ten minutes later—well within her boundaries as the lucky girlfriend—with her fingers tangled into his hair and gripping his arm hard. James' face was buried where her neck and her shoulder met, and Lily sighed happily. It was a sweet, fruity sound that drew James up to the surface with one of his characteristically intense expressions. A spot on her neck throbbed lightly.

"James, it's summertime. I don't want to have to wear a turtleneck for the next week."

"No one will notice."

"I'm seeing my _mother_ barely a few hours."

"Me too, but what do I care?" asked James slyly, breathing softly over the side of her face. He loved the smell of her hair and neck. He returned to his business near her shoulderline.

Defeated, Lily slumped into him and into the seat, allowing his hands to move her where he would. Her eyes fluttered softly as she enjoyed the tender pleasure against her skin, doing nothing more than letting James do all the work. She heard the faint, faint noise of the students in the compartment after theirs; and she heard the footsteps in the passage.

It was too early for the food cart but it sounded like the maker of the noise was paused outside each compartment. Curiously, Lily glanced over to the door. It was open only a length barely the breadth of her palm. But she still saw outside. The crack showed black from the floor up, until her eyes traveled up over the white face and thin nose to meet Evan Rosier's eyes.

He was standing there, just outside, staring with a keen malice that should have hit Lily like an arrow. James hadn't noticed. He was smoothing his hands over her shoulders and across her hair.

Even though she and Rosier had locked glances, Lily noticed how the portion of his hand she could see trembled in a tight fist each time James moved his hands on her. The thoughts that crossed Lily's mind as Rosier stood there, just watching, culminated in an anger that boiled down through her entire body. She hated him, in that instant, for being so weak and twisted and afraid. James had asked her out everyday. Rosier never had. Rosier had never once in words or in deed managed to convey any of his feelings for her besides the obvious resentment and lust. He wasn't strong enough, or honest enough, or true enough to himself or anyone else.

With the sharp stab of Rosier's penetrating failures and his mean jealousy and his pitiably feeble spirit, Lily's desire to bolt up and hex him coiled into a tight disdain. Something about her furious eyes made him think twice, and his own darted uncertainly. The fresh resurgence of weakness deepened the disgust she felt at this gross boy hiding just beyond her. He was not a man. He was totally unlike anyone she had ever loved. Lily really, really wanted nothing more at that moment that to make Evan Rosier cry.

"James," whispered Lily into the warm skin of his forehead.

"Yeah?" he murmured throatily, kissing her hand as it moved up to his face. His eyes were relaxed and kind, alight with the greatness of his contentment. In times like these, James was truly happy.

Lily only inclined her head, and James' gaze slid to the door. His jaw stiffened considerably and his eyes flared and narrowed. The change was almost instantaneous. He was prepared to draw blood.

"Wait," she said firmly, forcing James to stay down by not moving her body. Lily adjusted herself so that she faced the cracked door, and her face was impassive.

"Open the door." Her tone was low and solidly commanding. Irresistible. Like a man in a dream, Rosier slid open the door fully and stepped closer. His hand was clutching his wand in a quavering grasp. James could not stop the animalistic noise of challenge that was wrenched from him. Lily pressed further into his chest.

"Come inside."

Rosier stepped forth, turning to close the door behind him. Lily stopped him with another interruption.

"We have nothing to hide, here," she said.

For a few moments, Lily regarded him with a putrid interest, like a schoolchild might peer through prison bars at a murderer. It was a look that would imply that the object was lower than dirt, if only it was important enough to be assigned a position on this earth.

James sensed that something was different about Lily. That was the one and only reason that he let her handle this. This steely change in Lily was the singular thing that precluded him from killing, absolutely murdering, Rosier. James hoped that she would get over being afraid

"What were you doing, Rosier?" Lily asked. That calm voice knocked against him like loose clapboard caught in a storm. Rosier gritted his teeth unconvincingly.

"Watching the free show, Evans."

"There's nothing to see," snarled James mordantly, throwing a clear look of death across the room. Lily settled herself more comfortably onto and around James.

"Why?"

The word was a smash in the face. Rosier only glowered, appearing quite uncomfortable from behind his fa**ç**ade.

"Why what?"

"Why did you do it?"

This time even James—through his reddish haze—noted the puny exterior that was quickly dissolving from Rosier's person. Rosier himself offered no answer, only a glare of brighter rage.

"Was it because you were jealous?" Lily asked in a conversational tone, the voice of a psychiatrist. She allowed the air to massage her question for the briefest moment. "Jealous that you aren't cared for, Rosier? That no one really loves you?"

"Cared for?" spat Rosier in a screech. This was an idea he could latch onto and throw in her face. "Is that what you called 'loved,' Evans? You think a silly little kiss is love? Not that I put it past you to have done any number of filthy things for Potter."

Lily quietly stroked James' arm and told him to hush while Rosier savoring his misshapen perversions. She was interested in what other toxin Rosier might call upon for the occasion. Evidently believing he was winning something, Rosier gnashed his lips and prepared for another go. Strangely enough, Lily was finally seeing things from the collected perspective of Dumbledore. Maybe the sherbet lemons had something to do with it, but it was easy to remain calm, like the blue-eyed headmaster. The truth of the situation steadied Lily.

"I could turn your hair as green as your eyes, Evans, with some of the things I've imagined you two have gotten up to," leered Rosier. "Even if you're so stupid that you couldn't possibly know anything about really loving anybody. You both pretend to be better than the rest of us, but you're just the same as anyone. You're less, even, because you're not even honest with the things that crawl inside of you—"

_That was enough_, thought Lily indolently. James was getting antsy, which was code for 'enraged.' Lily cut in silkily on Rosier's pity parade.

"'Honest?' You don't understand that word, just like you don't understand love. Or love as it pertains to sex. Or life. I imagine there are many things you don't understand, to be quite truthful. One of them is that it is not proper etiquette to stare at people. Another is that lying will get you nowhere.

"Now if you don't mind," Lily continued, shifting slightly to emphasize how she and James were still wrapped around each other and how the collar fastening of her robe was undone and how she didn't care, "we'd like you to leave. This instant."

Rosier gritted his teeth and looked from the Cheshire cat smile on the one Gryffindor to the ultimate fury on the other. Emotions clawed savagely up to Rosier's heart and he stormed out before he could learn a lesson.

James got up abruptly and slammed the door after him with a violence. Lily was draped on the chair, feeling somewhat drained. James sat down beside her and pulled her into his lap with her back flush against him. Lily heaved a sigh.

"Lily…" he began uncertainly.

"James, I'm perfectly well."

"I know."

There was another pause.

"Where did that come from, Lily?" he asked tentatively. She angled her face towards his and he took her cheek in his hand. Even in their old arguments, Lily had never before transcended to the level of coldness she had for Rosier.

"I hated him for a minute, James," she replied tartly. "Absolutely hated him. Every shitting thing about him. But when I managed not to hate him because I was afraid, but because he was just…him…I don't know. Something hit. I'm finished with him for good."

She was grumpy. James was wise enough not to challenge her. Lily sat quietly for a bit longer.

"I haven't said goodbye to Greta Catchlove," she offered finally.

"Then let's go do that."

"James, we don't need—"

"Yes."

Gently, he unlatched Lily and stood up. Grudgingly, she did too. He was still tall to her, and slowly the Dumbledore moment receded into memory. She was his Lily again.

James reached out and yanked a lock of her hair lightly. It was so much like their train ride in September that Lily couldn't help but smile.

"I brought a brush with me for my mussed hair."

"You need it," said James smugly, sounding awfully proud. She tried bluntly to turn his attention away from her disordered hair, disordered by him.

"I don't think Greta would want to see you, James."

"Wha—oh. That bit with her and Sirius. Yeah."

"Well, she might want to say something," said Lily off-handedly, opening the door and starting down the hall, "but I don't want her to see you."

"Why's that, Lily?"

"Because she's too pretty."

James laughed quietly and closed the special compartment up. He didn't say anything about the encounter with Rosier when he reached his friends again, and Lily made no mention of it either when she entered a half hour later.

"Mafalda Hopkirk was there with Greta," she said, explaining her absence.

"Mhmm…" replied Sirius vaguely, taking a sip from a bottle of butterbeer that Lily did not think was butterbeer.

"Sirius, what are you doing?"

"Preparing to see my parents for what is hopefully the last time," he said with considerable grouchiness, taking another swig. Lily looked around the compartment. Squeezed into the tight quarters were the Marauders, Marlene, Dorcas, Emmeline and now Lily. Emmeline stood up, however, to visit with Caradoc and Benjy.

"It's getting too close for comfort in here," she said sweetly, stepping over Sirius' out-thrust legs to get to the door.

"I'll bet you're going off to get close for comfort with Dearborn, Emmeline," he said in another sanguine voice. She offered only a smirk and flashed her engagement ring before she closed the door. Lily took her seat.

"Exploding Snap?" proposed Peter hopefully. There was an undiscerning grunt from Sirius. James shook his head.

"I'll play," offered Marlene gamely. Lily nodded.

"Me too."

A few games later, Lily had clearly won and Marlene was calmly dousing the front of Peter's robes, which had lit on fire somehow. Remus checked the landscape outside and saw the beginning of buildings race past.

"We should change out of our robes," he suggested.

"For the last time," said Marlene sadly.

"Birds go first," said Sirius. Lily threw him a pitying look. The second bottle of suspicious drink was no excuse for his antics.

"How about you four boys leave so we can get changed?" suggested Lily.

"Er, I don't think so," answered Sirius smoothly. "I'm not getting thrown out of here by you _girls_."

Twelve minutes later, Lily slid open the door.

"We're done," she said pleasantly. James and Remus laughed from the hallway. Sirius grumbled and threw himself into his seat again.

"Took you long enough to change, Lily. It's not like you don't practice everyday"

"Black," said Dorcas, "did you all change in the hall?"

"Yes," answered James. "We were tired of waiting. All we do it take off our robes, after all. We don't compare knickers."

Lily rolled her eyes but Dorcas chuckled all the same. A short time later, the train slid to a halt. Marlene was crying again.

"Buck up, Marley," said Emmeline, who had come to grab her luggage. "I'm happy to leave some of the wankers in this school behind."

"Like your old boyfriends, Emmy?" asked Lily. Emmeline smiled at her knowingly.

"That's right. Caradoc, take my bags for me."

"Take them yourself," the Ravenclaw replied easily, picking up only one of her five large suitcases. "You bring enough clothes for all the girls in our year."

Huffing, Emmeline charmed the suitcases all to float out behind her, which knocked a second year Hufflepuff clean out of the way.

The platform was crowded with people. Lily never thought that she would become one of the seventh years who hugged and kissed everyone for the last time, but there she was. Slowly, the crowd dissipated and went their separate ways. Benjy and Caradoc walked off with Emmeline after shaking hands with the Marauders. Marlene went through the barrier to her mother and father. James was at Lily's side in a moment.

"I'll walk you through to your parents, Lily, before I go."

"Wait…where are yours, James?"

"They're on this side, remember?" he said patiently. "Let's just—" Quite suddenly, Sirius burst up from nowhere in particular and grabbed James' arm.

"Prongs!" he cried exuberantly. "You've got to see this! C'mon, follow me—"

"What are you on about, Padfoot?"

Sirius dragged Lily and James to a more sparsely populated area of the platform. There, standing beside an enormous red motorbike, were a man and a woman wearing rich traveling robes that covered them from chin to wrist. The man, who wore glasses, had a full head of pure, white hair that didn't stay down in the back. The skinny woman was just as tall as her husband was, with iron grey hair shorn straight around her chin. Her skin was deeply tanned and she peered at Lily with James' hazel eyes and sharp cheekbones.

"'Lo Mum," said James finally, moving to break his mother's gaze at Lily. "'Lo Dad."

"James!"

Mrs. Potter hurried forwards and hugged her son tightly. Her thick wedding band hung on her thin fingers and pinched at his cotton tee. She pulled back and smiled at Lily from over her son's shoulder. James was only slightly taller than she.

"And who is this, James?"

Mrs. Potter had a slight accent that flitted in and out of her question. She was a handsome woman and Lily blushed shyly. James' mother had the uncanny appearance of a dignified drill sergeant, even though she was smiling approvingly.

"This is Lily Evans, Mum," introduced James, moving so that the two women could face each other. "Lily, this is my mother."

"Pleased to meet you," said Lily politely, trying not to think that she had been kissing this lady's son earlier that day. She only hoped that she came off as well-mannered and sincere. Mrs. Potter took Lily's hand in both of hers and clasped them firmly and quickly. Her hands were cool and browned from the sun, the skin pulled tightly over the bones.

"You as well, my dear. We've heard—" Mrs. Potter sent a singularly conniving look at James, something that he had inherited, "—much of you. We're quite pleased to see you here. We weren't certain what to expect at Platform Nine and Three Quarters. I'm sure that you must be getting along to your own family soon?"

"Yes," replied Lily, hoping this little matter of the first impression wasn't going badly. Mrs. Potter nodded briskly.

"Then we'll get this over with. Dear, produce the package."

The tidy-looking Mr. Potter reached into his robes and withdrew a long, thin package from his robes. He quirked his lips just a bit as he handed it to his wife, who pressed it onto Lily. He seemed like a very reserved gentleman, although his pallid eyes magnified by his thick glasses showed nothing but warmth for his family.

"This is yours," announced Mrs. Potter to Lily. James immediately groaned and covered his red face in his hands. He must have known what was happening and Mrs. Potter must have expected his reaction, by the way she gathered herself for an attack.

"Mr. Potter and I bought graduation gifts for all of you. It's a shame that Remus and Peter had to leave so quickly, but we'll see them soon enough. Lily dear, we know it might seem awkward for you but please don't feel responsible—"

"Oh, Mum, I told you that you didn't have to do it," groaned James. "You always bring ridiculous presents to things." The loud revving of the shiny motorbike interrupted them. Sirius was grinning like a total madman, sitting atop it like a king on his throne.

"This is my gift, Prongs," he yelled happily, making the magically-enhanced engine purr louder and louder. Lily's mouth fell open. That must have been expensive.

James made a noise of exasperation. He turned on his parents quickly, as they indulgently watched Sirius enjoy himself. They were both smiling.

"You know he'll kill the lot of us now," said James exasperatedly. "Why did you need to give us anything at all? You do enough already—"

"Don't be dreadful, James," said his mother distractedly, her eyes following Sirius as he went over the wheels and the headlight. "We like to see you boys enjoying yourselves. I'll have you know that we also exercised considerable restraint on _your_ present. Your father thought it was not quite the thing but we agreed on it in the end—"

"What did you do, Mum?" asked James, resigned to his fate.

"Your down payment, dear."

"My what?"

"The payment for the flat you and Sirius are going to live in. We paid it for you."

Lily must have been staring at the Potters as if they were quite mad. _How could anyone have so much money to toss around for unnecessary presents? _Lily also asked how many people would be generous enough to buy them.

James was about to say something, but then he shut his lips again. Sirius stopped tinkering and picked up his head to watch. Finally, James could only shrug in gratitude. His mother and father beamed expectantly.

"So? Are you going to thank this old lady or not?"

"Mum, I…I can't even say…"

"Just hug your mother, James."

Wordlessly, he did so, breaking into a grin after a short time. Mr. Potter clapped him on the back lightly.

"Perhaps Lily might want to open her gift, too?" he said in his quiet tone. Lily knew that there was a definite blush rising up her cheeks. She had too, and it would be something that she would never be able to repay the Potters. Just like the gift of their son. Now that she thought of it, James always went for extravagant presents as well. The Potter family was unconsciously and alarmingly generous.

Lily removed the soft taupe tissue paper. There was a black box, held with a finely carved golden clasp. She flicked it open and gingerly lifted the lid to reveal the most marvelous piece of jewelry she had ever seen. A necklace lay on a bed of red velvet. It was crafted in white gold and quite thick with pale jewels, centering on a perfect pendant of a lily in full bloom. Mother-of-pearl. Heavy. Impossibly pretty.

"This…this is terribly costly," she blustered softly. Her mother's manners pounded at her through her daze. "I would never be able to accept such a generous gift." Lily was being mechanical and brave at the same time. She knew that she would never own something dazzling enough to wear with this. Her hands were already lifting it up to admire it.

"The goblins did it," said Mrs. Potter proudly. That seemed to be a mark of distinction. "We had it made up only this month, didn't we? They had been working on it for a few weeks and we were afraid it wouldn't be complete in time, but there you are. It would look lovely on you, Lily. We insist that you take it."

"It's just that—"

"Hello, Mother," said someone who clearly had lost the happy thread of the mood. It took Lily a moment to realize that this came from Sirius. He was sitting up straight and sharp-eyed, and he swung one leg over the side of his bike.

Only a few meters away, standing in a clear unit but not close to each other, were Sirius' parents and brother. Regulus had the smug look of someone who has tattled on the playground rival.

"Walburga," greeted Mrs. Potter, clipped and cold while she looked at Mrs. Black. Mr. Potter said nothing. Mr. Black said nothing. Mrs. Black simply stared at Sirius with barely-controlled menace.

Mrs. Black was bat-like. Her dark hair was lacquered into a thick bun, revealing a heavy jaw and high cheekbones. She was not ugly; and yet her sunken black eyes betrayed bitterness and distaste. Lily thought that Mrs. Black might have had a waifish, trim figure not too long ago, before she developed the bony quality that was welcoming and energetic in Mrs. Potter and frightening in Mrs. Black.

Mr. Black was taller than his intense wife. He was stolid and frowning between his thick black sideburns with wings of grey. There was something creepy and crawling in that rugged, cultivated face that turned Lily's stomach. Certainly, Mrs. Black might have felt the same way about her from the sharp looks she was sending. James' hand crept onto Lily's elbow.

"Well, then…" Mrs. Black sneered. Shocked, Lily noticed that Sirius made the very same type of face when he showed disdain. He stepped off his bike to draw his mother's attention again.

"I'm not going home with you," he said evenly, trying to put on a good show of squelching his frozen stare. Mrs. Black seethed and clutched onto her husband's arm.

"Orion, make the boy come," she said. Mr. Black opened his mouth but Sirius was warming up to match his mother.

"You can't," he stated sardonically. He and Mrs. Black might have been trying to stab each other with their similarly-shaped eyes. "You have no right to order me to do anything."

She hissed, actually _hissed_; and Lily stepped back. Mrs. Black's eyes darted to her and to James and to her estranged son.

"Sirius, we're your…" She cast a look about. "…family." It was a lie and she knew it as she polished up her next attack.

"I don't think so, Mother," Sirius replied icily. "_Family_ wouldn't try to destroy you if you didn't agree with their bloody madness." He thrust a withering glare on Regulus, who had inherited his father's oily stoicism. Regulus faltered.

"Mother, Sirius is lying. He's always—"

"Of course he is," soothed Mrs. Black before she heard the rest of her Regulus' explanation. Her younger son didn't have to explain things. He was right anyway. "That's why we need to bring him back home. To rectify certain mistakes that have persisted too long."

"That's enough, Walburga," thundered Mrs. Potter, stepping protectively in front of Sirius and James. Even though Mr. Potter moved not at all, Lily sensed his extreme concentration centered on the Blacks. He threw off strength like James did, and he seemed perfectly ready to defend his own.

"You need to leave this family alone," said Mrs. Potter.

"You need to give me my son!" Mrs. Black cried shrilly.

"He makes his own choices!" cried Mrs. Potter. "You never let him do that! He's chosen not to have you in his life anymore!"

Somewhere along the line, wands had come out. Everyone but Lily held their instruments in their hands, both on the offensive and defensive. Regulus and Sirius and James were shouting at each other and Mrs. Potter was bickering furiously with Mr. Black. The blackened yew handle quivered in the veined hands of Sirius' mother, who shrieked like a banshee that her husband ought to have cursed the disgrace right out of their eldest son.

In midst of all the shouting and the melee, Lily caught sight of the aged Mr. Potter looking particularly dangerous. Quietly, he glided past his wife (shouting) and his son (screaming as well) and past Sirius and Regulus too, and ended up quite in front of Mrs. Black. She took a lungful of air and stopped, her thin lips cracked wide at the man in front of her.

"Walburga, Orion," Mr. Potter said softly, "we are most assuredly going home now. Good day to you."

"This isn't finished!" barked Mrs. Black. "Far from it! You and your Muggle-loving wife have taken my firstborn son and I intend to bring it to the attention of—"

"You must do what you'd like, of course," bit Mr. Potter courteously, "but we must leave now. My wife and I have an appointment shortly."

"Do you expect us to show our faces in London if we—"

"WE ARE LEAVING!" snapped Mr. Potter. "Sirius will be coming with us as well. I am quite certain that we have had this conversation before, but if you would like to discuss the situation again you may owl me at my home. _Good day_."

Stiffly, Mr. Potter turned and took his wife's elbow. He nodded to James and Sirius. The two Potters and Sirius were red in the face.

Mrs. Black was livid and her eyes were wild. Lily remembered Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius' cousin, and how her eyes could go like that sometimes. Unlike Bella, however, Mrs. Black seemed willing to concede to Mr. Potter's suggestion. Bella had never conceded anything, and Lily shuddered to think that Sirius was really related to these people. The Blacks Disapparated a moment later. Lily noticed how Regulus clung so tightly to his mother's arm, and how he seemed to have acquired a black eye since they had come to retrieve Sirius.

"Wait," said James. His own parents were preparing to Disapparate, Mrs. Potter cursing the Blacks in a quiet voice. "I've got to walk Lily to her parents."

Lily peeked out, clutching her magnificent gift in her hands.

"Where are they, then?" asked Mrs. Potter, looking around Platform Nine and Three Quarters. "Why aren't they—oh my! You're Muggleborn, aren't you, Lily?"

Lily blushed. She had never been ashamed of it, but she wanted the Potters to like her so much. Lily knew that it was foolish to care because if they didn't like Muggles then bollocks to them, but what if…?

Lily should have known better. She was behaving like a little girl. Mrs. Potter came forward and put her brown hands on either side of Lily's face, kissing her cheeks.

"We'll stay here then, Lily. We wouldn't want to alarm them. James, be back in fifteen minutes sharp. It was wonderful to meet you, dear."

"You too," smiled Lily, and she meant it sincerely. Mrs. Potter smiled and drew back to her husband, reverting to muttering darkly about Sirius' family. James tapped Lily's arm and nodded towards the barrier.

Lily pushed her trolley in front of her. James was beside her as they stepped into Muggle England. Suddenly, Sirius was on Lily's other side. His face plainly dared her to say anything about their encounter with the Blacks.

"Bye, Sirius," she said gently, kissing him on the cheek. To have that…_woman_ for your mother. Lily felt sorry for him.

Sirius sighed briefly.

"Terrible, weren't they?"

"No, it wasn't so bad," lied Lily.

"It was positively awful, Padfoot, just like we expected," bawled James. Sirius gave up a smile and hugged Lily. Over her shoulder, he said,

"At least Lily had some tact, Prongs."

"Brilliant, Padfoot. Now let go of my girlfriend."

Sirius grinned and didn't. Lily heard James tapping his foot impatiently and she pulled away, laughing.

"All you have to worry about now is your N.E.W.T.s turnouts," remarked Lily. Sirius grinned again but then his gaze caught something over her head.

"_That's_ something a bit worse than your N.E.W.T.s exams, Prongs," muttered Sirius, directing James to the crowd of Muggles at the station's wait area.

James looked straight ahead. There, standing next to a clean plum-colored saloon with the windows down, were two people who could only be the parents of Lily Evans. They were waving to her, for one. The mother sported bright red hair.

Lily took his hand. She smiled up at James and he summoned up some of his usual charm. She looked if he had no idea what he was in for. He knew that he didn't. Hands entwined, they stepped off into the future.

**TA DA!**

**I know this chapter was a little weird. I know it was not the best. But it is the last one you'll see on this story, and I finished it in record time. It's twenty-three pages in Times New Roman 12 pt. in MicrosoftWord. I hoped you enjoyed the story.**

**Yes, the tones of this chapter were different than the general _Lightning at Hogwarts_ tone. It is a preview to what is probably a darker, more character-centered tale to follow when I post my companion story. Not because I've become an angst writer, but because everyone's lives become tougher after the safe house of school. Lily and James' especially, I think.**

**The setup is also sketchier than that of previous updates to reflect the increased sketchiness of their situations.**

**I also don't plan to post anything else until late summertime because I will be on a three week vacation in Spain. That's why I hurried up this one. And rest assured that, from time to time_, Lightning at Hogwarts_ will be undergoing renovations.**

**Then this is goodbye, I guess. I hope to see you all on my next story.**

**THANKS FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS AND OPINIONS EVER!**

**Candy Cane Jones**


End file.
